


Summoner's Summer Beach Festival Episode: Moment of Eternity

by theworkingprince



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Fluff, Gay Sex, M/M, One Shot, One True Pairing, Porn With Plot, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:14:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28508010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theworkingprince/pseuds/theworkingprince
Summary: Byleth and Dimitri are summoned to the Kingdom of Askr as a summer harmonized duo! A worried Byleth anguishes over Dimitri, his new role as Archbishop, and remnant and lingering memories of the five year war and the losses they've suffered.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Kudos: 30





	Summoner's Summer Beach Festival Episode: Moment of Eternity

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year!!
> 
> I wanted to start the year with a nice surprise for you all. This is a oneshot I actually typed up before I started Encounters but didn't really have the courage to post. I went back and edited here and there so it was spruced up and wrote it with Encounters in mind. The Dimitri and Byleth you see here would be the same characters at the eventual epilogue of my longer fic so this summoner episode happens after the conclusion of the war. The other ensemble make brief cameos so if you'd like to get my take on their characters and what I make of them, reading Encounters might help enrich this reading. You don't have to though this is can also stand alone :3 I've always hated the fact we never get much male fan service in Heroes and I'm mad there isn't a Dimileth duo pairing or alts for M!Byleth yet :( so I thought this would be something fun to start the year. There's tons of smut here >.< bless my poor heart Goddess I'm such a sinner!
> 
> I would love to talk Dimileth, Fire Emblem, Metroid, fics and so much more so please follow me on Twitter: @_Working Prince_ if you want :3
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and I hope all your lovely wishes come true over the next year <3

The sun was beating down relentlessly on the crystal-clear blue of the ocean. The rippling water reflected the sun so much that it at times forced me to look away after a while, my eyes bothered by the constant glimmer. You could hear the constant calls of the seagulls as they flew above with the updrafts of the air in large groups around the beach. A good few palm trees rustled from time to time with the ocean breeze as some people napped under them on towels or others abandoned their shade for a game of volleyball or to swim out in the water. The ocean itself made noise. The constant bombardment of small waves on the white sand beach added a steady, swelling rhythm to underpin the other sounds alongside the constant chatter of the groups and people scattered across the beach.

I stood on the wooden walkway lined with stands and seaside shops moving back and forth in my sandals nervously. There was simply so many new people and new things that it had all become overwhelming quickly. I was still trying to wrap my mind around how exactly I’d gotten here when it felt like I had just been in the middle of discussing Church support for the removal of Kingdom forces from Brigid archipelago and Sreng peninsula with Dimitri, the Knights, and the bishops of the Church when the two of us were suddenly transported here. Apart from being a land full of heroes from distant and parallel worlds, I also showed up in clothes like—these with no way of removing them.

I looked down a bit embarrassingly as I remembered appearing in that oceanside dressing room. A mirror had been the first thing to greet me in that small room within a hut. I had black sandals that had a leather strap wrapping around the middle of my foot and above my ankle on the lower half of my leg which looped back over the middle strap in a circle with a blue, tear drop gem hanging at the end. I had black shorts that were so small and tight that my ass cheeks were constantly peeking below the bottom hems of the legs and in the front—just above my crotch—was a small v-indent cut out. I was shirtless save for a black cape with golden tassels covering the bottom edge of it and being secured around my neck with a golden metal neck piece. The neck piece looked almost as if the metal had been braided with a golden pyramid pendant hanging at the front containing what seemed like glowing blue dust. I had black gloves on my hand, a wooden fishing pole adorned with flowers of various colors and sizes that wrapped around it, and a summer hat made of straw with a black lace band running around it tied with a bow in the back and a blue summer flower tucked under it on the right side. A small dagger with a purple sheath was strapped against my right thigh with two bands: one with a belt buckle that ran down into my thigh and back around to the sheath and the other which wrapped up over my shorts and around my stomach just below my belly button and back around to the sheath.

I tried to take off and rip the clothes several times, but every time I did, they’d simply reappear on me completely mended. I sat there in front of the mirror thankful at the very least that my light green hair was still the same as always even as I glared with an annoyed glimmer in my teal eyes.

I eventually accepted my fate and mustered the courage to step outside and cautiously judge the situation and possible danger I found myself in when I was greeted by the sight before. It was simply the scene of a day at the beach and here I still stand completely embarrassed, confused, and a bit scared.

I was suddenly pushed to my right and found myself stumbling a bit—almost losing my footing as I turned around back towards the beach walk. A large man with blue hair and an axe tucked on his back glared down at me and I unconsciously took a step back. A smaller girl stood beside him, holding his hands as she excitedly pointed with her finger from stall to shop with excitement.

“Don’t stand in the middle of the beach walk absentmindedly. You might hurt yourself or others doing that.”

“Oh! Dad! We have to have to go visit that stall right over there. They’re selling some kind of blend of fish meat and crab with a bunch of yummy looking topping on wafer looking things. Come on! Come on! Don’t scold the pretty man!”

“Lilina settle down please. The cart is just over there. It won’t be going anywhere.”

“Yes, but Roy and Eliwood are waiting for us back at our spot on the beach! We’ve gotta get the food and book it back or else they might pass out from hunger.”

“You’re exaggerating don’t you think, little lady?”

The pair passed around me and made their way to a stall a few feet away from me.

Not wanting to have another run-in like that, I began to walk along the wooden walkway at a slow pace, peeking here and there at the stalls along the way. I was only really trying to blend in and not stick out too much when a smell I’d never smelled before in Fódlan caught my nose and I stopped in my tracks. I turned and found myself in front of a stall with a middle-aged woman busy setting long, rectangular plates with eight small balls of some kind of puff, bread ball with a dark red sauce and minced vegetables covering them. Behind her she had a large stove where she was cooking more of the puff balls inside molds. Before I knew it, I found myself standing in front of the stall with my hands on the edge of the small wooden ledge that extended out of it. I watched mesmerized as her back was turned to me and she gently poked the balls before moving them off the open flame. It was as she turned that she noticed me and a big smile covered her face while she quickly grabbed a white cloth and wiped her hands, making her way over to me.

“Why hello dear! How are you enjoying the Summoner Summer Beach Festival? I hope you’re saving plenty of room in your stomach for all the great stalls lined up this year.”

“Summoner…Summer Beach…Festival?”

“Yes, dear you’re right in the middle of it.”

She seemed a bit confused by my question before she noticed my own perplexed face and a look of understanding seemed to cross her face.

“Oh dear, were you only recently summoned?”

“Summoned? I’m not sure I…just showed up here and I’m not really sure why or where _here_ is.”

“Really,” the woman seemed slightly upset as she tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear, “where are Prince Alfonse, Princess Sharena, Lady Anna, or that Summoner to greet the heroes they go summoning all willy nilly! I’m so sorry you were left hung to dry like this. Usually those four are around to greet newly summoned heroes and give you a quick explainer, but seeing as they’ve already disrespected you this much, I’ll give you the quick rundown.”

“Ah, thank you so much. I appreciate this kindness.”

She waved it off.

“Oh, this is nothing dear. Right now you’re in the Kingdom of Askr as a summoned hero. The Order of Heroes which is charged with protecting our kingdom has a summoning ritual where heroes from various worlds are summoned to aid our cause in times of war or strife though they’re also summoned during celebrations like these in order to impart wisdoms and experiences to those here and return to their worlds with the things that they learn and experience here as well. The summon does not last forever. Eventually, you’ll be returned to your world with no time having passed and right where you remembered yourself being last.”

“Wow this—seems totally unreal.”

“I can imagine. That’s why those numbskulls should’ve been there to greet you at the changing rooms those idiots. I’m sure they’ve run-off distracted by the stalls and fanfare as usual.”

“Should I—look for them? It seems as Archbishop of the Church summoned here by—Prince Alfonse—I should properly greet and introduce myself as a representative of Fódlan.”

“Oh, don’t fret about formalities. You let those idiots come and find you to apologize. Go enjoy yourself as much as you want. You can start here! Grab a plate of my world famous Takoyaki.”

“Ah, sorry. I’m afraid I don’t have any gold on me to pay for the plate and I’m not particularly hung—”

Right as I was about to finish my sentence, my stomach let out a loud and long growl and I felt my entire face burn bright red as the woman let out a laugh.

“It seems your belly is saying different. There’s no need to worry about paying. Everything at the stalls and shops is free. You can simply walk up and ask for what you’d like.”

“Really? It’s just—free food? I can ask for a plate of—everything?”

“Well, yes! If you think you have space in that belly for a plate of everything.”

“Then—I’ll take a plate of tako…takoyaki!”

I winced a bit at the overly eager shout of my voice while the woman laughed and handed me a fresh plate of the small puff balls. I took it gratefully and looked down at the little golden balls with a smile, my mouth already watering at the up-close sight and smell of them. I looked back up at the woman and gave her a small bow with a smile.

“Thank you so much miss! I’m grateful for the food and the information.”

“Think nothing of it please. Now go on! Run off and have fun.”

I nodded, giving her another small bow before resuming my walk. Looking down at the wooden plate, I eyed the balls of takoyaki and picked up the small wooden sticks laying at the end of the plate. I looked at them a bit, twirling them in my fingers and trying to think how exactly they’d work for eating. I mean I’m assuming they’re used for eating…I shrugged my shoulders and out the two sticks between my fingers and went right for it. They felt a bit uncomfortable and when I went to attack one of the golden balls and tried to pick it up with the ends of the sticks, I watched it annoyingly slip back and fall on the plate as the sticks gave a bit and slipped down the length of my finger. There was obviously a very specific manner you were meant to hold these…I let out a sigh and went for another go.

After a few more slips and several holes stabbed into the ball, I managed to lift it up to my mouth and quickly shoved it whole inside—scared its golden goodness might fall back to the plate. The amount of flavor that exploded inside my might as I chewed on it was—absolutely incredible! It was savory and tangy all at the same time with a hint underneath of sweetness coming maybe from the red sauce? The golden puff that was like a bread or pastry was actually hollow inside in stuffed with something what looked like cooked tendrils of some kind cut into several small pieces. The crunchy toppings were various kinds of vegetables that added a sharp freshness to the whole thing. After eating so much of Fódlan cuisine at the Monastery mess hall, I’d frankly grown a bit bored of the food there and to have something this foreign and yummy—I had to figure out what the ingredients were, if there were Fódlan equivalents, and how exactly you went about making it.

Without thinking, I stuffed two more in my mouth and started to turn back to the stall to ask the woman if she’d share the recipe, when someone bumped into me and I felt myself lose my footing. I flailed my hands desperately trying to keep the plate of takoyaki alive and preparing to eat a face full of sand to save it when I felt a hand slip around my waist and catch me. My body jerked a bit violently to a stop and I shook my head a few times before looking up and finding the face of a man glaring down at me. My cheeks were puffed up with the two takoyaki balls I’d unceremoniously stuffed in my mouth and I felt myself flush in shame as I tried to quickly chew and swallow them.

_Great…a new world and I’m still somehow embarrassing myself with every person I run into._

He helped me right myself and I noticed he wasn’t wearing any kind of summer or beach clothes like most of the people around here. He was wearing a dark blue kind of robe over white pants. He had a long katana strapped to his left hip and mop of messy black hair. His face was set in a grim, blank stare but his brown eyes seemed to be glossed over with annoyance. He seemed—familiar somehow. He had the same kind of feel to him as…Felix…

“Be careful.”

“Oh! Y-yes, thank you for saving me from that fall. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

He gave me a once over and then let out a grumble before moving back down the beach walk in the direction of the takoyaki stall. I watched his silent gait and titled my head as I began to follow him without thinking. People seemed to steer clear of him as best they could and despite how crowded the beach walk was the sea of people seemed to art open for him as I followed. He didn’t spare a glance at any of the stalls even as I found my own eyes wandering over to them from time to time.

I was in the middle of my fifth takoyaki ball and entranced by a stall where they were twirling what looked like multicolored spiderwebs on a cone and handing them out to people after they’d been spun into fluffy looking clouds when I slammed into something. I looked over and found that the man had stopped walking all of a sudden.

“Why are you following me?”

He said it without bothering to turn around or even look at me.

“Oh…um…I wasn’t really following you per say. I was actually…on my way to ask the woman at the takoyaki stall the recipe for them and you just…happened to be walking that way.”

“We passed her five stalls ago.”

I felt my face flush and I quietly stuffed another ball into my mouth as I stared at my pale feet in their sandals. I honestly didn’t really know how to answer his question.

“I’m sorry—if I made you uncomfortable. I’m kind of here on my own and I was summoned out of the blue with no one to really tell me what was going on except for that nice stall lady. You reminded me a bit of someone I now and I guess I felt a bit—comforted by that and decided to stick close to you—for a bit.

Thank you again for saving me back there. I’ll stop bothering you. I hope you enjoy the festival.”

I gave a small bow despite him not being able to see it and began to take quick steps back in the direction I came from when I felt a hand grip my shoulder. I stopped in my tracks and turned to see the man wearing what looked like an annoyed expression. He let out a sigh.

“You should watch your phrasing. It’s surprisingly manipulative.”

“Manipulative?”

“You made me seem like a villain. You implied I thought your existence was a bother. I couldn’t let you run off scared and with a twisted conception of me. Besides, it would be cruel of me to leave someone who’s lost and alone to wander off like this.”

He turned and went back to walking the way he’d been going, and I stood there a bit dumbfounded at his change of heart. He titled his head back and gave me a glare with his left eye.

“You coming or what?”

“Ah, right! I’m coming.”

I jogged up to be beside him and we followed the line of stalls down the beach walk side-by-side.

Dad and Dimitri would surely have a field day lecturing me for immediately falling in with a guy who’s name I didn’t know and who I knew even less about only because he reminded me of Felix. I moved the takoyaki balls around the plate absentmindedly as my eyes began to lose interest in the stalls and instead began to scan the faces in the crowd for one of the Lions, Seteth, or Dimitri. I wasn’t particularly tall so I strained myself with small hops and on my tip toes to see over the head around us.

“You looking for someone?”

“Ah, no one in particular really. I just hoped that if I’d been summoned here that perhaps one of my friends would be here as well. But it looks like I’m the only one here at the moment.”

With all the sunshine bearing down on us, I thought I’d be much happier like all the heroes around me, but instead I felt this painful kind of longing in my heart. We’d only just recently won the war against Adrestia and were caught up in the political fallout and ramifications of the Empire’s loss. Everyone had been pulled away from each other to help resolve lingering conflicts and issues. It had been weeks since I’d seen anyone and when I found myself thrust into the position of Archbishop by a frail Rhea as the rightful person for the position seeing as I was a reincarnation of the Goddess in some sense—I was both lonely and overwhelmed. The roundtable I’d held with Fódlan leaders regarding the Church’s forthcoming statement on the return of stolen lands from the Sreng and Duscur people had been—contentious to say the least. The lords of western Faerghus were adamantly opposed to such measures even as I argued that the Church was conducting a reevaluation of the causes of the Tragedy of Duscur and that the Church thought cruel punishment had been cast on the Duscur people with no proof of their involvement.

It was the first time I’d seen all of them and—him in particular. He was sat on the opposite side of the war room table from me and he looked paler, exhausted really. We hadn’t spoken or seen each other privately in so long that seeing him so tired and defeated in a way—made me desperate to feign an excuse to pull him away for a good moment. Right when I was thinking that I found myself in that changing room.

It just—didn’t feel right for me to enjoy this without the others. They deserved something like this. A place away from the aftermath and notion of wars and nations where they could all just be the people they were first—with nothing tying them down. I couldn’t possibly enjoy this with them lingering back in Fódlan without me.

“People say I look absolutely miserable during these things, but I think you’re running away with it. You look downright miserable.”

“Sorry. I guess I don’t make the best beach walk partner, do I?”

A silence stretched out after my chuckled response. I could hear the stall vendors yelling out rundowns of the food and goodies they were giving, trying to entice wandering eyes and feet closer to nab what they had.

“Who was it?”

“Hm, what do you mean?”

“Earlier. You said I reminded you of someone. Who was it?”

“Oh, you reminded me a bit of a student of mine named Felix.”

“A student? You’re a teacher then?”

“I used to be a teacher before the start of the War of Daggers. Despite not being that far removed in age, I found myself accepting a teaching position at Garreg Mach Monastery after working in my father’s mercenary group. Felix was callous, honest to a fault, and a bit of a loner so he tended to chase people off whether he was trying to or not. He is a genuinely good man though. He doesn’t like to show it, but he cares deeply for the rest of us no matter how much he protests the opposite. We fought many times together during Church missions and then during battles in the war. I haven’t seen him or my other students since I assumed the position of Archbishop of the Church.”

“An Archbishop,” he let out a long whistle, “I suppose I’m in the midst of divinity then. Is it not a—kind of sin to be wearing something like— _that_ though? Shouldn’t you be wearing something purer and more respectable?”

I felt my face start to burn all the way to the tip of my ears and without thinking I used my elbow to jab him on the side of his stomach. He didn’t flinch but he touched his side with a mildly annoyed glare.

“What kind of question is that!? I was opening up to you about something sincerely and you—bring up my clothes?”

“Clothes is pushing it. It’s more about your lack thereof.”

I glared back at him and went to jab him again, but he caught my elbow with his hand.

“Look, I didn’t mean to offend you with the question. It’s just—I’ve met a lot of high and mighty people in my journeys and time with the Shepherds. I never met her myself or talked with her I only saw the moment of her death when she let herself plummet to her death, but from what I knew of Lady Emmeryn she seemed to be that divine type. She tried until the very end to maintain peace and avoid needless war. She was ethereal even in those horrifying seconds that felt like minutes that we watched her fall. She’s the only real comparison I have of something close to an Archbishop of some kind of church.”

I pulled my arm back and looked up at him. Although he said he hadn’t had a personal relationship with her, I could tell there was a deep sadness that washed over him. I’d seen plenty of men like him with those kinds of eyes. Men who fought still with their sword in hand even after they’d watched a loved one get cutdown by an enemy soldier. Men who came back without an arm or leg or eye and could only glare at the ground or look emptily at the sky. Even if her death itself hadn’t meant anything, it had meant something to someone else he knew, or it had reminded him of something he had lost himself.

I could feel the sadness in the air as I popped another takoyaki in my mouth.

“Sorry to disappoint your expectations. If I’m honest, it was never really my dream to become the Archbishop, to become the leader of something with such devastating influence. I have faith in the Goddess, but I have little faith in things like the Church. I’ve seen faith and its absence weaponized for the goals of a selfish few or individual. I know more than anything the kind of crisis and violence born from secrets and lies. I would rather live the rest of my life away from it. But,” I looked over at him and gave him a small smile, “I was called for in that moment as the reincarnation of Sothis to help heal the world. I’m not sure how well I’ll do or am doing, but I owe to my…friends to stand beside them as they try to reimagine the world into a better place.”

He suddenly placed four feet between us and tore his eyes away from me. The sudden reaction and movement caught me off guard and I tried to move closer to him, but he would only move around the beach walk. He was shoving people around so much that I decided to save him from the pointed glares of the crowd and fall back to the right side where we’d been walking.

“It’s incredibly rude to react to something like this by running away you know.”

He slowly but surely wandered back to my side while still putting some distance between us. He wouldn’t turn to look at me, but I saw enough of his face to notice he had a blush that spread down to his neck and that he seemed to be slightly shaking. I was growing incredibly concerned and I touched his elbow with my hand thinking to calm him. The minute I touched him though he went into a sputtering mess as he began to speed walk ahead of me. I tried to keep up wit his incredible pace, but it was annoyingly difficult to do in these sandals.

“Are—you okay? Hey, please wait! I can’t run at all—in these things!”

I chased after him and we looked like proper idiots for several minutes before he finally slowed down and started just walking. I caught up to him and glared as I tried o catch my breath. I could feel a light sheen of sweat on my forehead and suddenly felt incredibly gross as I fixed my summer hat.

“You’re asking me to watch my phrasing when you just ask rude questions or run away every time I finish talking.”

“Sorry…it’s just…back then…you’re not a woman but…why did I...?”

“What does this have to do with me being or not being a woman?”

I was going to continue bothering him until he answered me honestly when I began to smell something really fragrant—like vanilla or maybe chocolate. My stomach seemed to grumble at the idea of eating something closer to dessert and as my mind turned to looking for the stall where the smell was coming from, I lost my interest in asking him for a straight answer. The smell seemed to grow stronger the further we continued on our way and we passed stalls full of ice cream, cakes, and other sweet and savory treats, but this fragrance in particular pulled my attention away from all of those things.

We were getting closer towards the end of the beach walk when one stall caught my eye.

Instead of food or treats, the ledge of the stall sported a bunch of different kinds of accessories and bottles of creams, lotions, and perfume. The stall itself was decorated in purple lace and as I stopped to peer inside of it, I noticed a tall woman working at the back. She seemed to be pouring a pink liquid into a bottle and I saw various boxes stored on shelves along the walls of the place. This actually wasn’t a stall at all and was spacious enough to have tables in the middle of the space with more accessories and bottles and even had a small, open curtain on the left for people to step inside. The smell of vanilla or chocolate was definitely coming from here but whatever it was—it definitely wasn’t food. It was most likely one of these perfumes or lotions and still I was curious but also nervous.

I watched the woman’s purple hair bounce around as she finished bottling up the liquid and finally turned around to see me. A smile instantly adorned her face and she set the bottle down on one of the tables inside and made her way over to me.

“Oh my, what a pretty little thing has happened to walk by my shop. Your outfit is absolutely delicious. I approve of it wholeheartedly. If only my dear brother would wear something this adorable and provocative, it would just make my day.”

Something about her also reminded me of someone…

“Is there anything little ole me can help you with sweetie?”

“Oh, I don’t really have anything in specific in my mind really. I just smelled something really sweet like vanilla or chocolate and thought it might be a food stall, but it seems like a beauty shop. I haven’t seen anyone else selling perfumes and lotions on the walk here. It’s also my first time here though so frankly I’m a bit turned around.”

“You aren’t here with anyone?”

“Well, I was walking with someone but he…”

“Is that him over there hiding behind a palm tree with his sword out?”

Her voice had turned into a deadpan as she pointed with an annoyed glare behind me and I turned around to see my walking buddy shaking like a leaf as he glowered over at the shop lady with his sword indeed raised. He seemed more and more unlike Felix with every moment that passed by now and I gave an apologetic smile to her.

“Yes that’s—him alright. He was nice enough to walk with me and keep me company, but he tends to overreact a lot.”

“Oh, Lon’qu over there is a total piece of work. He won’t get anywhere near women since he’s has gynophobia.”

“He’s…scared of women.”

“Camilla you bitch. You can’t go airing out a man’s issues.”

“You’re not half a man if you’re scared of a woman dear. Now, put away that sword before you hurt someone and yourself. You’d think the Summoner would’ve already figured out a way to help you, but we’ve been at square one since the day you got here.

At least come stand by this poor dear you’re leaving out here cold on the wind. You probably freaked him out the minute you went idiotic.”

“I-I-I can’t! I can’t get close to him either!”

“Why?” Camilla and I both asked at the same time.

“Because—because—for a second he reminded me of you—things.”

“You things?”

“Women…”

“So we're things now is it? Why don’t you come over here so I can singe your dick of with a fireball?”

Camilla snapped her fingers and a flame started to grow in the palm of her hand. Lon’qu still had his started pulled out and pointed at Camilla as I stood between them awkwardly and watched the crowd of people that had started to gather around us. Even without the crackle of the fireball she was holding, I could feel the tension crackling around them, and I racked my mind for something to push attention away. I looked around the shop and saw the boxes lining the shelves and decided to pull on Camilla’s string a bit. I made my way to the open curtain and stepped into the shop making a big show to glance at everything a bit in wonder as I went.

“Actually I…um…lied earlier. I am looking for something, but I was a bit embarrassed and nervous to ask if you’d have it in your shop.”

I’d honestly doubted something as dumb as showing interest in the merchandise of her shop would be enough to stop her, but it was the only idea that popped into my head. To my surprise however, she immediately put out her fireball with a snap and practically rushed over to me, grabbing both my hands and sending me a suggestive wink.

“Ooo, I knew you’d be interested in what I had to offer the minute I saw you. The outfit, the body, the way you hold yourself, it all screamed seductive potential. Don’t worry sweetie, with my help, no person will be able to resist your charm and sex appeal that’s a guarantee. Though it does help that you’re already so pretty.”

I felt my face flush as I finally pinned down who she’d reminded me of. I hadn’t had a talk like this with her since the war ended but seeing a bit of Manuela in Camilla made me miss my best friend even more than I could imagine. She’d said something exactly similar to this a long time ago when we were having a talk about men and sex. She said our bodies were weapons, stages for performances that make-or-break people and your survival depends on learning how to use it to your advantage. Of course, I think Camilla wasn’t only thinking of it in a purely romantic and sexual sense, but I somehow felt that it wouldn’t be a leap to think she might say something like that herself.

“Do you have someone in specific you’re looking to pull in?”

“Ah, I guess I do. He isn’t here though,” I felt the blush flare up on my cheeks, “sadly. But we haven’t really gotten to speak in a long while. Our work has kept us physically apart and when we are near each other it’s for governmental affairs.”

“Oh! So your partner is a man then?”

“Y-yes. I’m sorry I guess I should be—more careful. I’m not sure whether people are comfortable with the kind of relationship I have here or in the world you all come from.”

“Oh don’t worry sweetie. I think love and sex are beautiful no matter how and who they manifest in. Your heart and body want what they want and I commend you for being honest and brave enough to say and accept that.

Now, an age-old issue of a lost park then. You need something that will really get the spark going when you do find that perfect moment again. Tell me a little bit about what the man you’re pining for is like and I’ll pick out products I think we’ll be perfect for you as I go. Sound like a plan?”

“Y-yes! Thank you. I’ve honestly never had much practice in—seducing someone as meticulously as this. I’d have no clue where to start.”

“That’s what big sis is here for. As a woman with much experience dealing with these creatures we call men, I can name every twisted fantasy they hide in their hearts with a simple glance and some information. Please, don’t hold back. We’re talking in confidence after all.”

I set down my wooden plate on the central table and tugged a bit at my gloves nervously. It wasn’t like Dimitri and I weren’t compatible when it came to our bodies. We’d made love to each other plenty of times by now, but I had been—missing him a lot lately. It felt wrong of me as someone who’s supposed to be the reincarnation of the Goddess, a symbol of pure, shining divinity who guides people who stray into the path of sin to be frankly and honestly—a bit of a sex fanatic. Although half the fault was Dimitri’s, he just felt—so good and he handled me so well that I couldn’t help wanting to desperately be tied together again. Was there really something so wrong and impure about wanting your body loved in the same way your heart and mind was loved? Would the Goddess really—find me filthy and disgusting for it?

I shook my head away from those thoughts and turned myself back to the shop.

What I guess I was saying is we’re not impotent, but it would be nice to be prepared with some new tricks that would help us just—go hard and long within that small moment.

“He’s really romantic. Though sometimes he gets a bit flustered or shy when I make advances, once he gets going or when we’re alone he turns into a completely different man. He meets my needs right where I’m at and then some. He’s gentle but absolutely relentless. He enjoys it when I’m the one who loses the control of things and he can be the one teasing and provoking me. Though it’s not like I hate it when he does…”

The blood rushed to the burning tips of my ear.

“Sorry…I guess that might have been a bit too much information.”

“Oh no, it was perfect. He seems like a real rough and tough man. Enjoys manhandling and dominating you while still looking after you and your body. A real keeper those type. Let’s see…ah here we go!”

She tossed two small glass containers of cream or ointment into a knitted bag she had pulled from underneath a table. I peeked into the bag and tried to read the labels: _Melon Bomb_ and _Strawberry Swirl_. Huh—these sounded more like ice cream then they did lotions. She picked up a small empty box and placed a glass bottle inside it that I thought was perfume and then grabbed two yellow bottles that were labeled as scented body oils: a lemon and vanilla one. She tossed two or three candles in as well that were honeysuckle, peach, and cherry blossom scented before pausing in her walk and gazing over at the shelves.

“Ah, I suppose you can’t really use most of things without your partner. You also seem like someone who dedicates yourself wholeheartedly and completely to that partner so I doubt you’d like to find a new one. I understand the sentiment. I also have a love I could never think to part with or betray. All of my love and affection is for him and him only,” she placed a hand on her chest dramatically before turning back to me, “That being said, the two flavored lubes I’ve placed in the bag should still work wonders with one of the cute little toys I’ve got in boxes on my shelves. I can close the shop for a quick minute so you can browse the toy selection, or you can tell me a bit about what your partner has got down there for you to work with and I’ll find the toy best suited to you.”

“Lube? Toys? I’m—not quite sure what those are.”

“Oh dear, you’re just the most endearing thing, aren’t you? Like a fallen angel still wearing his white wings. I can see why your man is relentless.

Lube is simply a kind of lotion you could say that super slick and slippery. You’d apply it in your cause around your hole and on your fingers or a toy like the ones I give here because it helps make it easy for them to get inside you with minimum pain. It’s essential for sex that you prep yourself with a bit of loosening and that’s where toys come in.”

She walked back to the front of the stall and pulled down a curtain to cover the front of it, obstructing the view of the walk and of a still glaring Lon’qu. She then came over to a shelf and pulled a rectangular box from it before placing it on a table just below it. She lifted the lid of the box and when I peered inside, I felt my blush finish its crawl by spreading down to my neck.

“That’s just—a severed penis!”

“Haha, oh you’re a real trip sweetie. If only it was this easy and legal to sever men’s dicks off, maybe then they’d learn a thing or two. This isn’t an actual penis. It’s a fake one made of a soft yet firm material that was molded to look like the real thing. Here,” she handed me the box and I took it with some curiosity, “why don’t you get a feel for it.”

I looked a bit unsurely at her and she waved me a go ahead as I set the box down and looked down on the toy. It definitely looked like a penis. It was flesh covered and looked like it has veins bulging all across it. It was fully erect and standing tall and proud and even had half of two balls to go with it. I reached in and lifted it out, gripping it in my hand. It was soft like the real thing and still hard and firm at the same time. I turned it around and noticed a circular bit on the bottom and wondered a bit what that part was for before turning it back and flicking the head, watching a bit marveled as it bounced back and forth with the flick. It was cold though wherever I wasn’t touching and didn’t seem to hold real warmth. It also wasn’t really—big enough—most likely to—satisfy me.

“It—um—seems really nice.”

“I know right? Perfect for those moments you don’t have your partner around, but still feel like getting a good railing.”

I looked over at her and she seemed to have gotten lost in her mind a bit.

_Maybe she’s a bit more—forthright—than Manuela would ever be._

“I like it but—I hope you don’t find it a bit awkward—um—do you have anything that’s—bigger?”

“Your man’s well-endowed then? Oof. You’re such a small man he must be breaking your back.”

I placed the toy back in its box wondering how I could even speak such a question into existence as she took the box away and hummed while looking through the shelves.

“Could you give me a proximate length?”

“I—think so—maybe—uh, I’d say he’s about,” _please kill me_ , “8 inches?”

She let out a whistle and nodded.

“Maybe angel was selling you short. More like a white winged incubus. Would you like it in another color besides flesh? I have pretty fun ones. Clear, blue, purple, black, ones that looked marbled, others with patterns.”

“I think—flesh colored is enough. Thank you.”

“Ok sweetie then, here you go,” she pulled a box from a shelf and slipped it into the bag, handing it to me as I took it and placed the strap on m shoulder, “You’re all set for a bit of a naughty little summer vacation on the beach! If you’re going to use it now, I’d recommend traveling further along past here after the board walk ends for a good bit. There should be deserted beach after a while, and you can find a nice cozy place to seclude yourself and get at it.”

“Ah, right. Thank you.”

“It’s no problem at all! Oh, I forgot to mention this but the perfume I put in your bag is super special. Only use it sparingly since its smell is pretty potent for those of the same sex. It’s good to use in an enclosed, personal, and private space to really get your partner riled up and, in the mood, but if you use it where others could smell it well—let’s just say you’ll be pretty popular among the men. Irresistibly so.”

“Is it really that potent? Is it not dangerous then?”

“No, it’s perfectly safe. The affects wear off eventually, but it will cause instant chaos if you use it right here in the middle of the beach walk, for example. It has pheromones that attract men.”

I looked down nervously at my bag and gave her a genuine, but anxious smile.

“I guess I’ll be careful while walking around not to break it either.”

We made our way up front together when it seemed like there suddenly a lot more voices just outside the stall then there had been before. When Camilla pulled the curtain back up, I almost dropped the bag full of items I’d just got and prayed to the Goddess to be swallowed whole in that instant.

A group of four was standing together by the stall, but I honestly didn’t care much for the other three when I saw him standing there. He was shirtless like me and wearing a thin, simple blue sweater with a hood and shorts of actual reasonable length held up by a black belt with both having the insignia of the Blaiddyd crest: the sweater at the back and on the right and left side of the shorts. I couldn’t see his feet from over the counter of the stall, but I’m sure he was also wearing sandals. Instead of my flower adorned fishing poll, he had a large spear made of shimmering metal colored dark blue like the deep ocean with a small banner tied just beneath the head of the spear with the Blaiddyd crest stitched at either end and golden tassels like my cape adorning the ends of the banner. His golden blonde hair was tied back save for a little tuft and few strands that fell over his black eye patch.

He turned for whatever reason and when our eyes met, I felt a lot of things. Relief that I wasn’t alone in this strange world. Utter embarrassment about whether or not he’d notice I was coming out of a pleasure shop with items I was looking forward to use. And nervous about—if he’d think I looked pretty in this outfit—if it wasn’t too much. If maybe he’d want to pick up foods from stalls and then take a walk somewhere quiet and away from everyone by the beach.

“Byleth…”

I stepped out of the stall and stood in front of him, my head turned up as he looked down at me with those heart melting blue eyes. I could see his smile in them and his own relief at having found me and for some reason—hearing his voice and seeing his smile—had me beginning to let out small sobs, I felt the tears beginning to sting and swell out of my eyes and I threw my hands over his neck and hugged him tight and close. He stumbled a bit forward with my sudden weight, but I felt his hands grab me behind my thighs as he picked me and left one hand holding my legs up and used the other to play with my hair underneath my hat.

I could feel people’s eyes on us, but I could care less. Whoever wanted to watch could watch. I was just happy—to be this close to him for the first time in a while. To be able to touch him and see the color back in his face, to have his eyes watching and taking me in instead of wandering away in exhaustion. I—missed him—since even back in Fódlan.

“I’m sorry Prince Alfonse, Princess Sharena, and Lady Anna, but could you excuse us for a moment? I need to speak to Byleth for a moment.”

“No, go ahead King Dimitri. We’ll wait for you two here with Camilla and Lon’qu.”

I had my face snuggled underneath his chin and could only feel us moving away. He walked us for a couple of minutes as the voices of the beach walk faded and faded and were overtaken by the sounds of the ocean, and seagulls, and the sound of our hearts. I could feel his beating below the left side of my chest as mine was beating over his. Our hearts seemed to follow each other’s rhythm and their sound seemed to calm me down enough that by the time he stopped walking, I’d managed to quiet my sobs into sniffles and dried my eyes.

“Byleth…could you look at me?”

I shook my head against his chest silently.

“I need a proper response love.”

“F-fine.”

I lifted my head up and found his two ocean blue eyes peering down at me with a gentleness that made me feel like crying again. But I controlled myself better this time, blinked away any threat of tears as he caressed my cheek.

“It’s a little scary for man to see his lover cry at the sight of him.”

“I’m—sorry. I know I probably overreacted and—embarrassed you in front of your company. I probably look like a ridiculous fool.”

“You think I would care about what they or anyone else thinks? Right now, I want to know why you were crying. Would you tell me?”

His eyes shimmered and he paired his small smile with a steady stream of head pats and playing with my hair. I tried to glare at him, but by the way his smile seemed to grow I knew I was utterly failing.

“That’s an unfair weapon you have against me. I should ban head pats and you playing with my hair. It always gets me sleepy and weak to your demands.”

“Really? I thought it was my charming looks and personality. I guess I’m only good for what I do and not who I am.”

He feigned a frown and I rolled my eyes, pinching his cheeks in angry defiance.

“Stop being melodramatic. It’s all those things together that I love. Your sweetness, your charisma, the gentle way you treat me, though I guess,” I placed both of my hands on his pecs and squeezed them while sending him a wink, “it doesn’t hurt that you’re super-hot, right?”

His hands moved down to hold me up by the ass and I felt him give me a long hard squeeze as he eyed with darkened and half-hooded eyes.

“Don’t go egging me on now. I can’t stand through a conversation between royalty with a boner in my shorts, now can I? Please, objectify me in the privacy of us as our only company.

That being said, your ass won’t help you escape from my earlier question. Why did you start crying?”

I tried to get down, but he wouldn’t let me go and I let out a nervous sigh.

“It was for a lot of reasons, but mostly—it just felt like you and me were seeing each other for the first time in a while. The aftermath of the war has kept us apart for so long that I was feeling—a bit lonely and neglected. I know it’s foolish of me to think like that. You’re the King of Faerghus and I’m the Archbishop of the Church. We have an entire continent of people to protect and watch over and ensuring the relative peace we won remains is going to be a constant. But even then I couldn’t help feeling like we’d been drifting away in our stress and worries, we weren’t really together or with each other.

During that roundtable you have no idea how much I just wanted to make an excuse and runaway for hours or even days somewhere where none of it could reach us. Where I could just bask in your attention and you in mine. Nothing but the two of us and what we’d do to occupy our minds. And then I was just suddenly here in this utopia away from what I wanted to escape, but I was alone without you and the others. The minute I was enjoying myself this guilt bubbled up inside me and even with you here it’s still right here, eating away at my chest. This idea that they all should be here: Ashe, Ingrid, Dedue, Felix, Annette, Sylvain, Manuela, Seteth, Flayn, Alois, Shamir, Catherine, Dorothea, Bernadetta, Petra, Marianne, Constance, Hapi, Balthus, Yuri, Hanneman, even Rhea. We all lost so many things. We all suffered and continue to suffer in quiet and subtle ways. We don’t deserve this happiness no matter how momentary it is—I started to think at least.”

I couldn’t really look him straight in the face after all I’d say. I was worried he might think I was saying he was a neglectful lover or that I didn’t want to spend what time we had here happy and together. I just wanted to let him know what was lingering inside my heart and mind, to be vulnerable and honest.

“I should know after loving you for so long that even with your best attempts you still at times hide your pains in order to not bother—perhaps even more so now that I am king. You cannot imagine how desperately I’ve wanted you for the past few months. If I had no shame, I might’ve pushed you against the war table and ravaged you right then and there. I won’t lie and say I do not hold some sense of guilt as well not seeing our friends here beside us, but I also think they would not have wanted us to be thinking such things at a moment like this. You are my fiancée after all, they’d surely be egging us on to go to town with each other. Think of this as a—prelude honeymoon.”

“A prelude?”

“Of course, the real one happens after the marriage.”

I smiled and let out a laugh. He stroked my hair, and we kept our eyes staring right at each other. I leaned in and gave him a small kiss and he returned it in kind. When I pulled back, I was sure I had a ridiculous grin seeing as he was given me one just as ridiculous.

“There he is. The man I fell in love with those many nights ago under the starlight. I missed seeing his smile.”

I shook my head and gave him another quick kiss.

“A man after my own heart, huh? Well, we should really be getting back, shouldn’t we? It’d be rude to leave them waiting on us any longer so let me down so I can walk.”

“Hmm—what if I’d rather keep you up here with me?”

“If we were going to be left alone, I’d be happy staying up here but not when we’re going to be speaking with royalty from another world. Besides, I’ve already embarrassed myself by latching onto you in tear so please don’t make me suffer anything more.”

He let out a laugh and set me down.

“Very well. I can’t let anyone go around teasing my love after all.”

“Yeah, you tease me enough for the embarrassment to last me a lifetime.”

We started to walk and I noticed we’d gone far enough that the beach walk had simply ended and now we were just walking on the white sand of the beach of itself. I could feel the scorching heat from it and as our sandals moved through, I could feel small grains rush under and warm my feet. Despite what I’d said earlier about saving myself embarrassment, I pressed myself against Dimitri’s side, leaned my head on his arm and reaching down to grab his hand as we walked. He gave my hand a squeeze and I couldn’t keep the smile from leaving my face.

We did eventually see the wooden planks of the beach walk and I could make out the two forms of Camilla and Lon’qu talking with the three people I hadn’t met before who had come with Dimitri. The noise of people came washing over us again as we stopped in front of them and I sent them an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry for my earlier outburst. It was unbecoming of me.”

I gave them a small bow, but the man with blue hair gave a gentle wave.

“There’s no need to apologize. In fact, we really should be the ones to apologize. Of all the times the Summoner has called forth heroes from other realms this has to be the first time they came separately. I’ll have to speak with him later to review the summoning ritual and make sure we’re performing it properly.

But there I go, we haven’t even introduced ourselves. My name is Alfonse and this here beside me is my sister Sharena.”

“Hi there! I really love your summer outfit. You look so pretty!”

“Ah, thank you.”

“And right beside her is Commander Anna. She’s in charge of the Heroes Order and manages the heroes working under us.”

“Sorry for the mix up during the summoning. Adan, the summoner, stayed behind to look over the ritual out of sheer panic and worry so he couldn’t come to greet you himself.”

“It’s nice to meet you all. My name is Byleth and I’m the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros.”

“And my fiancée.”

Dimitri chimed in with a smile on his face. My face flushed a bit, but a small smile still spread across my face.

“Yeah, that’s right. We haven’t really had time to plan the announcement or the ceremony, but we’re partners.”

“Well, allow me to be the first to give you a warm congratulations. Again, I apologize for the confusion. We don’t have many harmonized duo heroes I our records, so I guess which just haven’t prepared well enough to summon two heroes together.”

“Harmonized duo?”

“Ah yes, I forgot that this is all completely new to you. A harmonized duo is a unique kind of hero summon that carry unique powers and talents. They’re two heroes who are linked across fate and time and whose compatibility as a pair enables them to move and think as one. The two of you appeared together on our record of heroes as a duo with the title _Summer Sovereigns: The Goddess Reincarnate and His Redeemed King_.”

“What a lofty title to give us.”

“Well, your stories do get recorded here as you overcome strife in your worlds. As the stories of your worlds unfold, new heroes appear in our records as they rise and influence history for the better. We eventually summon and pull from these heroes as we need their help though this is not limited to wars. As you see, during festivals and festivities, we also summon heroes who embody characteristics that we think would benefit such events. Of course, we still hold mock skirmishes between the summer heroes, but for the most part you all are here to simply enjoy yourselves and converse with one another which I see you’ve done quite well in our absence Byleth.”

Camilla waved a hand at me and Lon’qu gave me a sidelong glance.

“He’s truly a sweetheart Alfonse. I never knew you had such taste in clothes for men. If you’re handing out outfits like Byleth’s, maybe I should have a conversation with the Summoner about giving Corrin a nicer, more appealing change of clothes. Just thinking about how he’d look in shorts like these…oh, it simply must happen!”

I suddenly felt a pang of guilt for whoever this Corrin was and from everyone else’s faces it seemed they felt similarly.

“Right. Well don’t let us get in the way. Like I said, you were summoned here simply to enjoy the summer festivities we have planned here in Askr. There’s nothing pending or any responsibilities you should worry about. They’ll be a firework display later on in the night. If you walk back in the direction you came from, there are also swaths of private beaches in case you’d like time alone together.”

“A—firework display? I’ve never heard of that.”

“I could explain, but I think that would ruin the magic of it. You’ll see once it gets dark and you won’t have to wait too long since the sun is already setting. I don’t want to take up more of your day so enjoy yourselves. Oh! I almost forgot, here.”

Alfonse gave a large wicker bag over to Dimitri who took it gratefully.

“There are beach towels as well as towels for drying yourselves in case you decide to take a swim. Apart from that inside there are sun lotions to keep your skin from burning, blankets for when it gets cold at night, and even a pillow or two. Every bit of beach should have umbrella already set up so just pick the spot you like the most. There’s also this,” he handed off a basket which I took, “a picnic basket with food and drinks.”

“This is—really thoughtful. Thank you so much.”

“No need to mention it. I hope you enjoy the festivities and I look forward to speaking with you two more in the coming days.”

“Likewise.”

“Then we’ll be off.”

The three of them gave a wave as they turned and walked back up the beach walk, leaving us, Camilla and Lon’qu.

“So—this is the man in question huh? I’m happy you’ll be able to put all of those products to quick use then.”

“Products?”

The tips of my ear burned as I pressed a finger to my lips and looked at Camilla. She merely giggled and pressed a finger to her own lips.

“Sorry. I’ve been sworn to secrecy as a fellow hero infatuated and in desperate need of love. I hope the two of you have plenty of fun dear.”

With a final wink and smile, she strutted her way back behind her stall and Lon’qu turned his back towards us as he began to leave.

“See ya.”

He threw back a wave and almost instantly disappeared within the crowd.

“A man a few words I see.”

“Yeah, even when he was angry, he didn’t say very much. He reminded me a bit of Felix even in the way they both tend to overreact to the silliest of situations.”

“I can see it. But enough about other heroes,” he tugged at my hand and turned us back towards the private beaches, “shall we find a nice spot for ourselves?”

I nodded with a smile and we backtracked the way we’d come from.

As I looked at each beach we passed, it seemed they offered an increasing sense of intimacy and privacy. All of them had umbrellas set up and scattered around the beach with a fire pit and small, open air huts with drinks lining shelves in the middle of the beach. Garlands of flowers decorated everything along with lights strung together on thin wire across the rim of the umbrella and roof of the huts. The lights began to slowly come to life as the sun began to retreat behind the dunes further away from the shore and a myriad shade of red and orange began to creep in from the east and spread quickly across the remaining blue in the west. The water itself was shifting from a crystal-clear blue into a mesmerizing shade of purple and orange. While the first beaches weren’t exactly separated in anyway, the ones further along at the end had large dunes that separated them from each other with fences running along their ridge. We noticed some beaches with people, but after a while, the most secluded ones were deserted, and we put a few more beaches between us before settling on one at the very end. It was like we’d found our own small bubble.

“Where should we set ourselves up? Maybe close by the fire pit in case we’d like to get a fire going?”

“That sounds good to me!”

We walked over to the umbrella closest to the fire pit which was a good distance from the shore, and I pulled the large towels from the bag Dimitri was carrying and set the two down next to each other. One of them was blue with spots of white and gold and the other was teal with white diamonds and gold spots.

 _Even the towels seem to be designed with us in mind_.

I set the basket down beside Dimitri’s towel and briefly wondered where I should put the bag I was carrying where it could stay inconspicuous and not draw his attention too much.

“Are you hungry? There seems to be quite a few delicious looking things packed for us here.”

His was rummaging through the basket as I went to sit on my towel and in a sheer act of bravery and initiative, I quickly pulled out the glass bottle of perfume Camilla had given me. With his back to me, I pulled off the cap and quickly went around dabbing it on myself. I wasn’t sure exactly how much was too much, but I rubbed it on my neck, wrist, arm pits, and below my belly button. I then gently tossed the bottle back into the bag just as he was turning back around to wait for my answer. I pushed the bag to my side right by my towel.

“I actually ate a bit already when I got here so I’m not too hungry.”

“A drink then?”

“Yes, I’d like one.”

He reached back into the basket and handed me off a bottle with a light, pale yellowish liquid inside. I took off the cap and took a quick sip of it and was pleasantly surprised by the fresh and citrusy taste.

“Lemonade?”

“It would seem so. There’s also a foamy pink one that might be strawberry or something along those lines. I wonder if Alfonse just has these things ready for when they summon new heroes.”

“It does look like they’re plenty used to it. I wonder how they greet heroes during other times of the year or during war. I just find it a bit strange that they’d go to the trouble of summoning heroes even for things as arbitrary as a summer festival. I wonder if they’ve ever gotten heroes who have outright refused to remain here. The lady I spoke to mentioned that summoned heroes eventually return back to the worlds the came from.”

“I’m not to sure of all this myself. When Alfonse was explaining it, I was properly confused the entire time and a bit suspicious of it all. But after talking to him for a bit more, I didn’t sense any malice or ulterior motives. I think he just genuinely wants and expects people to just enjoy themselves.”

“Yeah. I guess we should count ourselves lucky that we weren’t summoned here for war. I’ve seen enough of the battlefield, so I hope you don’t mind me not being too keen for their mock battles. I’d rather—spend as much time in peace and quiet and with you.”

I sipped at my lemonade as its sour sweetness prickled my tongue and watched the ocean waves lick the sandy shore. I scooted down my towel and tossed my sandals so that my feet could touch the sand and I dug into it, burying my feet in the warm sand. I briefly wondered why the sandals didn’t just reappear like they had when I tried taking them off, but maybe it was because I had no intent of ditching or damaging the outfit that they stayed off while I savored the sand. I wasn’t going to try too hard to understand it. The thin, blood red clouds were more interesting than whatever strange rules this world thought necessary to impose on us.

I felt Dimitri press against my back and hug me from behind so that I was tucked right between his legs. He took off my black cape and tossed it aside, nuzzling my neck with his nose and pressed kisses along my nape after he’d removed it. His breath tickled my skin and made goosebumps run down my skin.

“You smell really good.”

I felt a blush come to life on my cheeks and let myself bask in his attentions. I could feel his teeth nibbling at the crook of my neck and shoulder and couldn’t help the light moan that escaped my mouth. Provoked by it, he bit down and earned another louder moan from me as I felt his hands slip down and wriggle into the tight space of my shorts. They were so short that his fingers stuck out from the bottom as he grabbed both of my ass cheeks in his hands and gave them a hard squeeze.

“I think I should thank the Goddess you were put in these. The minute I saw you I wanted to pin you to the ground and spend my time admiring the way these shorts showed off this big ass of yours. You were walking around with these cheeks peeking out. I wonder if you enjoyed the extra attention from the men or were you waiting for me to see them?”

His mouth moved down above my collarbone and I felt him give another hard bite as I felt my penis begin to wake up and press against the tight space of my shorts.

“I—I—I was waiting.”

I set my drink down somewhere in the sand in front of me and arched my back when I felt one of his fingers slip between my ass and graze across my hole. I reached back with a hand and palmed his erection through his shorts and I heard him almost grow as I gripped him. I moved myself back so that I was now sitting on top of him and as he kept squeezing my ass and grazing my hole with his fingers, I began to grind myself on his lap. I turned my head down and saw that I was fully erect now, the head of my penis peeking through the small triangle cut out right in the center of the shorts. I was surprised at my own desperation and the already leaking precum that was spilling out of the head. We were only teasing each other, and I already was losing it and wanting more.

Dimitri kept up his kisses and began to trail them up my neck, dragging his tongue here and there as he reached my ear. He nibbled on the lobe for a few seconds before nudging my head to turn towards him. When I turned my head, he immediately went right in for a kiss but this one wasn’t like our kisses early. This one was aggressive and hot and his tongue darted out of his mouth and went looking for mine. I met his tongue with mine and the wet smacking sounds seemed to ring in my ear and go straight to my erection. I could feel his erection pressing through his own shorts into mine as I kept pressing down against it. It was throbbing, aching just as mine was and I could feel a warmth pooling below my stomach and knew I was dangerously close to bursting when I felt one of his hand reach over and squeeze the right side of my chest, pinching my nipple as the other one tugged my shorts down and pressed on the head of my erection.

I let out a cry and used one of my hands to reach back and slip my hand into his own shorts, getting excited as I wrapped my hand around his hot shaft and gave it a squeeze. He squeezed my chest harder and pinched my nipples hard enough to send a pleasant tingle of pain shivering across my chest. I looked straight down and watched his fingers tug and move from one nipple to the other, the pink peaks turning a darker shade and growing stiff and erect as his hand squeezed at my pecs to soothe each hard tug. His other hand had my penis fully in his grip and was tugging it up and down at a painfully slow pace. I bit my lip and tried to thrust my hips upward to get a more aggressive pull, but when I went for it, he let go of my erection and suddenly pulled on both my nipples. I cried out and fell back on his lap, my sunhat falling down beside on us on the sand.

“You have to be patient, Byleth.”

He whispered in my ear and went down to keep biting lightly on my neck, trailing nibbles as he moved his hand back to pull at my erection. I was a bit frustrated with his teasing and decided that if I had to suffer, he’d suffer with me. I tugged his shorts down and felt his penis pop up and slap right in between my thighs just underneath my balls. I squeezed my legs shut so that my thighs were engulfing his penis and was satisfied with the sudden groan it pulled out of him. Before he could do anything to stop me, I raised my hips up and then slammed down onto his lap and heard him let out a curse as his penis thrust upward through my thighs and I saw the precum pooling on his head. I went into a steady rhythm where I slammed my hips against the hand he was gripping me with and then slamming down and pushing his penis through my closed thighs. The loud slaps rung out and seemed to drown out the sounds of the ocean as I started to lose track of my thoughts. The sensation of his penis sliding ever so briefly against mine, the way he moved through my thighs, it just made me really want it to be slamming inside of me instead.

“Shit, I’m close Byleth. Slow—ah!”

I began to slam down even harder and faster and could feel him throbbing like crazy between my thighs. He gave me one last tug and I let out a cry as streams of cum splashed warm against my chest and stomach. With another last slam of my hips, his own penis burst and sprayed string after string of cum hard enough that some of it landed on my face as the rest of it gushed and slid down his shaft, oozing into the valley of my thighs.

I lost my strength right then and there and fell back onto Dimitri, the two of us trying to catch our breaths as I peered up at him through my eye lashes and he looked down at me. He leaned down and gave me a gentle kiss before pulling back and rummaging through our beach bag and pulling out one of the towels inside of it. While I was panting on him, he took the towel and wiped my face, chest, and stomach. I followed his sweeping and saw the pool of cum that had collected between my thighs and when I went to open them, the cum stretched out in sticky strings before some of it dripped down further down into my thigh. My penis twitched a bi to life at the sight and I felt myself blush.

“You’ve never used your thighs before. That trick really caught me off guard. Your thighs feel like pillows.”

“I had to break out the secret weapons with ow much you enjoy seeing me squirm.”

“You don’t seem to mind the slow torture. If anything, it seems to provoke you quite a bit into pulling stunts like that one. You’ve got anymore in you?”

“Hmm, that’s a top secret.”

“Oh really? I guess I’ll just have to pull a confession out of you!”

He flipped us over and pinned me down on the towel. Before I could protest, I felt his hands begin to assault the sides of my stomach and an uncontrollable fit of giggles began to overtake me. I tried to wriggle away, but his hands would just pull me back beneath him without letting up.

“No! Please! I can’t—I’m too—ticklish!”

“Feel like telling where you learn all these things from?”

I shook my head and he quirked his eyebrow.

“No? Well, I guess I’ll keep up the attack.”

Joining his tickles was his mouth. I watched as he hovered above my right pec and then swallowed up my nipple in his mouth. He gave it a sudden hard suck and I felt my back arc up from the towel. I couldn’t decide if I should moan or laugh, the sensations of his mouth and hands were overwhelming me with sensations that were so different in purpose. His hands were innocent in their little game, but his mouth was set on ravishing my body again. I couldn’t think straight or find it in me to say anything.

“Still won’t tell me?”

“I’ll—I’ll tell you! Please, stop—the tickles.”

“Just the tickles? So you don’t mind this?”

I felt him bite the tip of my nipple and felt some cum drip out of my soft penis, my eyes fluttering open and closed. His hands stopped their attack, but his mouth remained on my chest this time sucking and nibbling on the other side and the hand joined them by squeezing the and cupping the two ridges of my pecs. He looked up at me with my nipple still in his mouth, waiting for me to answer. My penis twitched again.

“I—no one taught me. I just—do those things thinking—they might feel good for you.”

“Really? Maybe I should up my game then. You think this big chest of yours could squeeze my dick like your thighs did? Since these guys,” he suckled and bit the tip of my nipple as I moaned, “won’t give me any warm milk, I think I should give some to them.”

He let go of my nipple with a final pop and moved himself so that his penis was pressed between the valley indent between my two pecs. I could see his head glistening with a new drip of cum and watched as she slid it down my chest, rubbing the head on my skin and letting the cum stick and string along my skin. As I felt my own penis starting to come back to life, I wondered how I’d use my chest like I had my thighs and didn’t think long before I knew how to do it. I took both of my hands and placed them on the left and right side of my chest before pressing them inwards, squeezing my own chest like he had been squeezing it before. My pecs swelled upwards a bit and I watched as they closed in around his penis and swallowed it up between them. I could only see the pink flare of his head as it leaked cum right beneath my neck and it pooled there on top of my chest. I pressed against my chest harder and watched him let out a groan of satisfaction.

“That’s perfect right there. You look so sexy with squeezing me like this I already feel ready to burst.”

He began to thrust himself forward and the sensation was so new and exciting it that I felt my hole twitch as I watched him move through the tight space I’d made between my chest. I could feel his cum coat the sides of my chest, making wet, sticky noises as he thrust forward with his hips, his hands pressed down on either side of me. I could see a sheen of sweat beginning to coat his skin and his face began to take on a red, rosy hue that contrasted with the harsher, angrier pink of his penis. My hole twitched as his blue eyes looked down at me and I felt my penis jump to attention. It was like he was trying to burn this scene into his memory and his look alone was setting my skin on fire.

I could feel his penis begin to throb and knew he was close when he began to grit his teeth. Cum was already sputtering out and splashing over my chest as he kept pushing his hips harder and harder, but just as I felt he was going to burst he moved himself up to my face and pressed his dripping head against my lips.

I took the cue and opened my mouth as he slammed himself down into me. I let out a moan as his head rubbed against my tongue and the salty wet drop of cum began to coat my mouth. The wet smacks and noises his penis made as he thrust up and down had my me reaching down to my own erection as I began to furiously tug at it. I didn’t want to cum yet, but I wanted to give myself a bit of attention. I was gagging a bit as his penis hit the back of my throat and I watched everything, but his tip come back wet and slick with saliva. I even began to suck a bit on it to provoke a bit more and I began to see his hips shake as he groaned out. My mouth was flooded with shot after shot of cum and I could feel my throat bob up and down as I swallowed every stream and Dimitri held his penis fully inside my mouth. He kept sputtering for a while before he lifted his hip and popped himself out of my mouth, a stray string of cum still stuck to his tip that fell off and dripped along my lip. He collapsed over beside me as I lay there with half-hooded eyes, licking the stray string of cum on my lips and hoping desperately that my hole might be next.

His hand touched the tip of my erection and I turned to look at him.

“You should get a bit of the fun too.”

Lost in my own dick crazed haze, I almost nodded my consent before shaking my head and pushing his hand away. He looked a little hurt, but I wanted to try some more new things while we had this perfect moment.

“I want to try doing something a little different. Could you take of your shorts, sweater, sandals and lay with your stomach on the ground for me?”

His eyes lit up and he seemed intrigued. A mischievous and excited light seemed to spark in them as he nodded and stripped of his clothes. I eyed his dick a bit restlessly as it once again stood tall and proud despite coming twice already. I was being insanely patient myself considering there was nothing more I wanted to do than slam down on it now that there were no shorts to block me from it.

He laid himself on the towel straight and with his face turned down and I quickly pulled down my shorts and threw off my gloves. I moved over and rummaged through my bag to find the two bottles of body oil making a quick decision to use the lemon scented one and setting the vanilla one outside by the bag. I moved over so that I was sitting one top of Dimitri’s ass and popped the bottle open before turning it and squeezing it right over the valley of his spine. The oil hit his skin and he jumped a little at the sensation, but then settled in and gave a small chuckle.

“A massage is it? It feels a bit bad that you still haven’t gotten some more attention.”

“Don’t go worrying about me. I’ll have fun with this so don’t doubt my abilities.”

“Ha—very well.”

I squeezed the bottom around his shoulders and moved back to squeeze over his ass, my dick twitching as the oil slipped and dripped in between his ass cheeks. I closed the bottle and set it aside, begin to knead and spread the oil around with my hands. I started first over his shoulders and pressed hard into the crook of his neck as he groaned and lingered around his neck for a while.

“That feels good. I hadn’t really noticed how much all these roundtables and meetings had been getting to me. It feels like all I’ve done is be stuck inside, hunched over my desk.”

“I can tell. All your muscles feel stiff around here and I’m sure it’s the same with the rest of your back too.”

I pressed my thumbs on the side of his neck and rubbed the muscles there as best as I could. My dick was laid right in the middle of his back and while my hands were busy on his shoulders, I lined my lower body up just right so I could press myself against him and use myself to rub in the oil I’d left everywhere else. My chest and stomach pressed against his back, my dick slid between his ass cheeks, and my thighs and legs slid across his own. I moved my body up and down and began to leave kisses along the nape of his neck as he groaned. The oil was warming up considerably now that our bodies were pressed together and as I slid my body up and down, I coated the front of my body in the oil as well. My hard nipples were squished against him and the sensation of them dragging across his back had my dick twitching as it slid in and out from between his ass. I moved my hands down and groped his two cheeks, massaging the oil in and letting its warmth sink deeper into the muscles there as the head of my dick teasingly poked at his hole. I pressed his cheeks together and moaned at how slick and warm they were. I began to thrust harder and faster, moving the tip of me so that it kept hitting against his twitching hole.

Dimitri was practically growling as I nibbled along the nape of his neck and I felt the warm bubble of my climax start to collect just below my stomach. I was panting already and though I had my dick squeezed in between his ass, my own hole was twitching uncontrollably, spasming as I thought of how much I wanted to be the one pinned down instead.

I wanted to have my dick pressed, squished against the ground as he slammed his dick inside of me. I wanted him to stretch me out and leave me gaping with his cum leaking out. I wanted to feel the kind of searing hit only his cum could fill my hole with. I wanted him to destroy me, breed me. I wanted him so bad.

While I was beginning to lose myself in the haze of anticipation, my dick began to spasm and I pulled myself up and looked down with hooded and distracted eyes as stream after stream of cum splashed all along Dimitri’s back. It slipped between his ass and speckled the ident of his spine and I watched with a dumb, lax face as it kept dripping slowly out.

It was right then that Dimitri flipped himself around and pulled me up so that my dick could slide into his mouth. He moved his mouth up and down, cleaning it by lapping up my cum with his tongue as I looked at him, my head swinging a bit back and forth. I had no more strength. I didn’t really much about trying anything else. I just really wanted to get railed.

Dimtri let my dick slip out of his mouth and sat up. He turned us over so I was the one laying underneath and flipped me over so I was belly down. I moaned feeling my dick press against the towel and began to rub against it, swaying my hips around. I didn’t do it for long before I felt both his hands slap against my ass and the sting had me crying out.

“You got to try this out on me so it’s my turn now to try it on you.”

I felt the sudden drip of the body oil and felt it trickle across my shoulders, all down my back, and right between my ass. Instead of the citrusy smell of the first oil though, I could smell the strong scent of vanilla as he kneaded the muscles around my shoulders. I would squirm in my desperation to get fucked, but he met each squirm with a hard slap that did just as good a job of continuing to provoke me. The harsh sting of his hand on my ass and the soft fingers he pressed into my back—the contrast between the work his hands were doing made my hole twitch all the more. I could feel his dick resting right between my ass, but he only moved his hand around my back as he pressed the oil into my skin. His dick was left poor and neglected and I desperately wanted to change that.

Right as I was about to push my hips up to press my ass against his dick, he lifted himself off me and I was left lying by myself. It only lasted for a few seconds before I heard a squelch and felt a cold liquid begin to drip between my ass as his hands spread my cheeks apart. After the searing hit of the body oil, the sudden cool touch of this new wet liquid had me moaning as it dripped and coated my hole. I could feel his breath right over it and I clenched and unclenched my hole in order to entice him further. He only gave me another slap on the ass before I felt his face press in between and his tongue began to swirl around the rim. He groaned and the sound vibrated right over my hole and I cried out, feeling myself spasm over and over as he pressed the center with his tongue. He gave me one good, long lick from the bottom of my balls up along my ass, over my hole, and up to the top of my cheeks. I tried to press my face against his face, but he used both his hands to press my hips back down by pressing them down on my ass. He pressed down hard enough that my dick was being crushed a bit by my own weight and I felt my toes curl.

“Your hole taste like strawberry ice cream. This lotion is some pretty serious stuff. I might get addicted to it.”

I couldn’t even bother with a retort or response. My mind was blank save for whatever it was my hole and dick were feeling. His tongue began to push at the center of my hole and I felt it slip past and begin to wriggle inside. My hands gripped the towel and my own pathetic moans began to ring loud in my ears. He kept pushing his head back and forth so his tongue kept thrusting just barely in and out while every once in a while, his tongue would slip out with a wet pop and he’d attack my hole with short, quick licks. I felt one of his hands move down to join him hear my hole and the nail of a finger begin to trace around the edge of my hole. I bit my lip and thought I drew blood when I bit down harder as I felt one of his fingers push in and join his tongue. His finger would push against my walls and force my hole to gap wider open so his tongue had an easier time pushing in and out. The loud smacking sound of his mouth shoving against my ass had me breathless and my dick was weeping a sticky mess of cum below me.

It was too much—I needed…

“Please…”

The word came out as a breathless whisper.

“Please? What do you want to ask for Byleth?”

“Please…”

“You have to ask properly. Let me hear.”

“Inside…inside…”

“I’m already inside,” as he said that he shoved another slicked-up finger inside and I felt tears begin to pool at the bottom of my eyes, “Is it not enough?”

 _So mean…how could I think like this?_ His tongue was still poking inside, but his fingers were slamming right into that spot. My dick kept trying to jump up, but was squashed underneath my stomach. My entire body was trembling and my mouth was stuck open in a wide O and I felt my own saliva begin to drip down the side of my lips. There was no way for me to speak, but he tortured me by asking questions. He knew what I wanted…why couldn’t he just give it to me?

“Inside…bigger…bigger…”

I could only manage to whisper fragments through the haze of pleasure that was overtaking me. His fingers kept up there relentless thrusting as I felt his tongue and mouth move away from my ass.

“You want something bigger? You still didn’t answer me properly, but I’ll definitely give you something bigger.”

My felt my heart would leap out of my chest with how quickly it began to beat in anticipation of what was next. I felt his weight lift off my body and taking the chance he offered me I lifted myself off the ground so I was on all fours with my ass up in the air and my head leaning down to the towel. I moved my head so I was looking down at my body and could see my dick and the strings of cum it was leaking, the spot where it has been pressed against on the towel was covered in white. My nipples were still erect, and I waited with bated breath for him to position himself behind me.

I wanted to watch when his dick pushed inside me…

I wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing, but I could see him move back over and saw him raise the bottle of lube he’d used earlier and heard him squeeze it, feeling the liquid trickle between my ass and watching my dick jump up at the cold feeling. He pushed three fingers in and twisted them around, earning a handful of moans from me and coating my insides so that when he finally pulled them out my hole was sticky, wet, and gaping slightly. I could feel a small trickle of lube coming out from me and that fried whatever little sense I still had. I felt his head rubbing against my hole and turned my eyes over to watch, but my eyes went wide.

“Wait! Not tha…AH!”

The tip of the flesh-colored toy pushed through my hole with a wet pop and I watched as the flesh-colored shaft slammed right into me, hitting my good spot on the mark. My vision blurred for several seconds and I felt myself squeeze and spasm around the shaft, my head falling against the towel as my dick sputtered stream after stream of cum. What little I felt like I was breathing came out in hot pants as I my poor dick came over and over again with what seemed like no end. Dimitri began to leave kisses on my ass and I felt his teeth biting down, sinking into my flesh after every kiss.

“By the looks of this you were planning on getting busy without me. I’m a little hurt you’d rather use this than wait for this one.”

I managed to twist my head on the ground enough to watch as he slipped the toy out and grabbed his dick with a hand, slapping it against my winking hole. His tip was poking out from the skin that covered his shaft, the thin flesh pulled taut and tight enough to show the bulging veins that ran along it. Cum was dripping out of the tip and it throbbed and pulsated in a way that made the toy look sad and pathetic in comparison.

His dick was somehow still bigger than the toy. He was thicker and still longer than it. When he slapped it against my hole, I could feel the incredible heat of it that the cold shaft of the toy couldn’t match. Not to mention…only one of them was going to breed me and coat my insides in cum.

“I—”

“As punishment for not answering me properly, we’re going to mess up your whole first with this. We’ll see if this can pound you into satisfaction.”

I watched him pull his dick away from my hole and felt a whimper bubble up in my throat before it was covered by a scream as he shoved the toy back in all the way to the base. I’d cum so much that as my dick flared back to life it throbbed with a delicious ache. I could see everything from here. The way the toy began to move in and out of my hole, the hard, wet slaps slamming into me so hard that I was struggling to keep my body in place as it moved little by little further up the towel. Even if it wasn’t what needed, it still pushed against the walls of my hole violently and I could see as it moved back how my hole tried to cling onto it as I clenched down on it. I tried to control myself, hoping to endure this until Dimitri finally caved in and slammed inside me himself, but…the sensation of having my insides stretched open by something that was still such a nice size. The way I could feel my spasming hole warming the cold flesh. The lube that trickled out of the bottom of my hole. It was still pounding. It was still slamming. It was still—dick.

“…harder…”

“What was that?”

“…harder…harder!...please.”

“Well, since you begged so nicely…”

I felt the toy push in all the way to the base before Dimitri began to slowly, agonizing pull it back. I clenched around it and the walls of my hole tried desperately to keep it stuck tightly inside of me, but he pulled it just to the tip. My hole twitched around it and I was scared he was going to ignore me and tease me more when he suddenly rammed it back inside in one go and I felt myself bounce forward. My entire body trembled, and my knees wobbled, my strength leaving me so quickly that I felt myself slipping, collapsing almost on the towel. I tried to recover and right myself, but he pulled the toy back slowly again before ramming it another time, my knees wobbling and wobbling. Cry after cry escaped my mouth and I couldn’t even watch it slam into me as my vision blurred and I tried my hardest not to cave-in completely and utterly before I got to feel him inside me.

My strength failed me. I felt myself give in and I was nearly going to slam into the ground until Dimitri’s hand slipped around my waist and he pulled me up so that my back was against his chest and I was sitting on his lap. His free hand reached up and titled my chin towards his face and he pressed his lips against mine. I immediately pushed my tongue to meet his in a sheer desperation that I’d never felt before when we made love. It felt like somehow I knew somewhere deep in my heart that this moment—this time together—wouldn’t last. That I needed to make sure I didn’t forget how perfectly my body was made for him; how much our hearts followed one another’s rhythm. With his focus on me for the first time in a long while, I wanted him all to myself—for as long as we could breathe. Moments like these might be few and far between, but I wanted to try to make space and time for them in the future—as much as I possibly could.

Those thoughts sobered me up slightly, but Dimitri had now switched up his slow pulls with a relentlessly quick, hard back and forth as he abandoned his slow torture and focused on sheer aggressiveness and I was made dumb again with pleasure. He let go of my chin and titled it back down so I could see the way he was slamming the toy inside me.

“Look how much your hole wants to cling onto it. You enjoy getting your insides messed up so much that even this can make you dumb.”

The wet squelches ringed in my ear and I watched with hooded eyes how the toy disappeared inside me. My dick twitched against my stomach.

“I’ve trained you really well, haven’t I? You just swallow it up whole. You’re greedy and want to keep it inside, but I know this isn’t enough still, right?”

I felt his dick pressing against the small of my back. He leaned in next to my ear and nibbled on it.

“Will you tell me properly now? What do you want?”

I couldn’t think. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t think.

“Tell me, Byleth.”

I felt tears beginning to trickle from my eyes as my desperation reached its limits and I lost whatever last bit of sense I had.

“I—I want your dick! Inside me! Please! I want you to—breed me!”

I screamed it out. My voice powered on my desperation and need for his dick alone.

“Then get ready because I’m going to break you until your minds a complete mess.”

As he finished saying that, he pulled out the toy from my ass with a pop and before I could even complain about how empty I was, his tip pressed against my gaping hole and he picked me up with both hands on my waist, slamming me down in one go onto his dick. My back arched. My hole spasmed. Cum burst out of my dick and splattered from my stomach to my chest and continued to drip down onto me. A small smile began to tug at my lips.

_I really…like this…I really like…his dick…_

I hadn’t stopped cumming when he picked me up again and slammed me down onto his dick. The cum still gushing out of me was flung by the force of the slam up and landed on my face and lips and I used my tongue to lap up the drops, my small smile still lingering on my face.

Dimitri continued to slam me down with his own hands and I let out loud, panting moans as I felt his shaft stretch and fill my insides even more than the toy. His dick was so hot; it was throbbing against my walls and reaching so far inside me, hitting my good spot with little effort. He had his mouth latched onto my neck as he sank his teeth over and over again along my nape and just at the back of my neck. They felt hard enough to leave a mark and my hole clenched at the idea of having his mark on me. His movements were animalistic now. He was meeting the slams of my body with an upward thrust of his hips and the force behind each loud slap had me digging my nails into his thighs. The thrusts began to get sloppy and I knew as his dick began to swell inside me that he was going to cum any second.

With a final slam, he let out a guttural growl and bit down hard on my neck as his dick spilled out stream after stream of hot cum inside me. I bit my lip and let out a moan as I clenched myself tighter around him, hoping to milk out every drop he could give me. He held himself inside me for a little bit before his dick slid out of me with a pop and my hole twitched and gaped, his cum spilling out in a warm trickle. The sensation of the cum spilling out had my dick twitching yet again and the sudden emptiness down there had me still craving for more to fill it.

I have no idea how the strength came back to me, but I flipped myself around, so I was facing him and then pushed him down. He was only coming down from his high and looked a bit confused as I position my hole back over his dick and I looked down to see his cum dripping out of me and landing on him. I grabbed the throbbing shaft and pressed into my gaping hole.

“Byleth wait give me a—fuck!”

I slammed myself down, so I was sitting with my legs folded on either side of him. My eyes wanted to roll into the back of my head as I started to move up and down on him and moved my hands over to his chest, using my fingers to tug and pull at his nipples. He let out curses and gave me a slap on the ass that was meant as a reprimand but only served to encourage my movement. I slammed down and then grinded my ass against his hip, moving in a circle over and over again while clenching down. Then I raised my hips up so his dick began to slip out and when the tip popped out and more cum went trickling out to follow it, I would immediately slam back down and take him straight down to his balls. His entire body was covered in sweat and his eyes remained glued down where my ass was swallowing him whole and where just above it my dick was slapping loudly against my stomach.

I was bouncing on top of him now, riding his dick with all the force I could muster and not only could I feel the way my ass cheeks bounced up and down behind me, I could also see and feel the way my pecs followed my bounce as well. They’d jump every time his dick slipped out and then fell down hard and bounced back up when I slammed down. A weird, pleasant tingle spread around my chest each time they bounced up and down and when I looked down, I saw Dimitri was also intently watching their movement.

I moved my hands over to his and pulled them up towards me, placing the two over each side of my chest.

“You should—touch them.”

I thought his blue eyes darkened ever slightly as he sat up and began to suckle on my nipple while simply holding my chest and letting them keep bounce up and down in his hands. My dick was slapping back and forth between out stomachs and I rested my head on top of his, holding his head with my hands as he kept sucking on my nipples, alternating every now and then between the two.

Every part of me needed his attention. It was crazy how quickly I’d molded myself to him. It was so easy for him to reduce me to an unthinking mess. All I wanted was for him to cum over and over inside me. The weeks not being together—of being close but not near one another—it had let this agonizing loneliness sit inside my heart. I was desperate to keep him as close as possible, to fill myself with the marker of his touch and his love and his attentions. The bite marks that would be left, the cum that dripped out of my hole, the afterglow of our bodies would be the proof of his presence, the culminations of his love for me. He was healing this bodily loneliness that I hadn’t even realized was festering across my skin.

“…love…love you…”

He let go of my nipple at the sound of my voice and looked up at me.

I wasn’t sure what kind of eyes I was giving him, what my face looked like in that moment, but I could feel the tears begin to trickle down my cheek in earnest. My movement slowed down and got sloppy and eventually stopped all together as I began to sob and I felt him stop the tears from falling off my cheek with kisses. I know I was ruining the moment, that the two of us were now sobering up despite my anxiety to keep going, to keep showing the depths and culmination of our love. I wasn’t sure why it was that I was really crying. It just felt like after months of acting as a living Goddess—someone had finally bothered to see me and to tend to me and that it was the man who I wanted to hold me the most. The man I loved with all of my heart and everything I was feeling and worried and fearful of just jumbled together inside me and decided to come out.

I felt like I needed him to know—like he had somehow forgotten what I felt.

“…love you…love you…”

“I know. I love you too.”

He pressed his forehead against mine and used a hand to wipe up the tears as they grew beneath my eyes and I watched the clear, deep blue of his eye. The bright warmth that floated inside seemed to help fill the emptiness that was gnawing me, and I felt myself clam down enough to properly look at him—our foreheads still pressed together as we sat in a steady, sure silence.

“I’m right here with you. I don’t plan on going anywhere soon.”

“I know. I’m sorry for overreacting like this again. I completely ruined the mood, didn’t I?”

“That’s the least of my concerns. I want us to talk.”

“You really want to talk—um—while you’re still inside me?”

“Yes. Once we’re done, I’m going to make sure I really make love to you. Then after, we're going to head back to the beach walk and watch the fireworks with all the others.”

I let out a laugh and shook my head.

“What a totally insane way to hold a heart-to-heart.”

“I’m doing this because I know part of the fault is mine. I should’ve noticed that you were feeling neglected all those times we ran into each other during those meetings. The way you’d look at me. I should’ve recognized how you were hurting and we both should have reached out to each other. I also was feeling incredibly lonely as well, you know.”

He pressed a kiss on my neck.

“After the Siege of Enbarr—I had many nightmares. I saw Edelgard’s face—the empty loneliness that drained the life out of her eyes when she threw that dagger into my chest. The way her skin was rotting black in places from that magic she’d used on herself. She was convinced she had nothing else left to live for, no one left to turn to, and no other thing left to do then to follow her path where she was convinced it was meant to end. It pained me so much to see her like that. And though I didn’t have the time with her needed to consider her truly my sister, I nonetheless felt like I’d lost my entire family that day.

I was no different than her. I’d spent the time you were asleep wandering empty battlefields, the remnants of conflicts like a ghost. I felt I had nothing to live for besides avenging the people I loved. Edelgard became this undeniable fixation. To me she’d already taken away mother, father, and Glenn, and now she’d taken away the love of my life. I said I’d live long enough to see her head mounted on the gates of Enbarr, but in truth—that vengeance hid the same dead eyes as hers. Whether I succeeded or not, I wanted nothing more than to join you all in death.

I killed many people in my senselessness and their faces appeared alongside her in my sleep. I was always standing back in Gronder Field with so many bodies covering the ground you couldn’t move or walk. I saw you all there being pulled under by corpses and you were all screaming out for me, asking me for help, but I couldn’t move. I had to watch the hands of the corpses peel off your skin with their skeleton fingers. I had to watch the color drain from all of your eyes. I felt my hands burn and when I looked down, they were covered in dried blood.

I’d wake up in a panic, but then I’d feel you pressed against my chest sleeping. I’d look down and watch your face, trace your lips with my fingers. I’d pull you closer and put my nose against your hair and just—breathe in.

I can’t and won’t ever be able to live without you. You are the start and the end of the world and every moment apart from you kills me. I promise I won’t ever part from you. Wherever the other goes, the other will follow.”

He pressed a kiss to my lips and I returned it before nuzzling my face against his.

“It’s also my fault as well. Being looked at as the reincarnation of the Goddess and the Archbishop of the Church ended up twisting my own understanding of who I am. I kept feeling like I was being pressured to fill in the shoes of Rhea and Sothis—to be ready with all the answers and be sure in my convictions. I didn’t want to be like any of them before. I wanted to take the power that was given to me and push for the kinds of drastic changes that would prevent people from walking down those dark paths of becoming people consumed by hatred and loss. I needed to pick it all apart, reimagine the Church, but that would mean changing it into something else and it felt like I was betraying her by thinking like that—betraying Sothis. The ideas her and her daughter Rhea had built—I would be challenging and doing away with them. It was like I’d be erasing the last of what was left of her.

Even during the war, I had all of you by my side to help me navigate my own thoughts when I got lost in them. But when I became the Archbishop, it felt like a wall had been placed between me and everyone including you. I was scared to think I’d regress to that time before I came to the Monastery where I felt cold and incredibly alone even while I was surrounded by so many people. Colleagues, subordinates, mercs, the faithful. They all had an idea of me they imposed. I wanted someone to see and speak to me as the person I was. You’re the only one who can in a second remind me that I’m a person. That I’m allowed to cry, laugh, scream, smile, and grow. Being with you brings me a lot of comfort and clarity.

I shouldn’t bear such big burdens on my own and I should realize that—Sothis wouldn’t be upset to see me follow my heart and do the right thing no matter what I decide to change or keep. I know as long as I’m with you—there’s no fear or obstacle I can’t confront. As long as you’ll have me, I’ll be here.”

I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. I felt his tongue poke against them asking for entrance and I parted them. His tongue was slow and spent its time touching mine. Our mouths moved slow and in lieu of the heat from before there was instead a mellow and sweet warmth that had my lips tingling.

We pulled away and laughed as we rubbed our foreheads together.

Dimitri raised his hips slightly and a low moan escaped my lips as he watched me attentively.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He picked me up and set me down so my back was laying on the blanket and we were still facing each other. He put each of my legs on one of his shoulders and then leaned down over me, so his face was right above mine, his dick pressing down inside me as he moved. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down for another slow kiss as he began to push his hips back and forth at a slow and steady pace. I felt all of his inches moving inside me like this. It slid in and out so easily. Instead of pounding when he was all the way inside, he was grinding his hips in short strokes where he’d bump against my good spot just barely enough to get my hole spasming around him. I could still feel his cum dripping out as he went.

“You’re so wet now. You’ve got a lot of my cum in you. I wonder if I try seriously enough and fill you up a bit more whether or not I could get you pregnant.”

“Pregnant? You know it's impossible for me, right?”

“Its love talk.”

“Did Sylvain tell you that?”

He moved over beside my ear and nibbled there on my neck. He stopped thrusting and held his dick inside me, stopping his movement all together.

“You wouldn’t want to have my kids?”

“Of course, I would, but that’s…”

He reached down and squeezed on my weeping dick, rubbing his thumb on the tip as I let out a cry. He started up his slow strokes again but picked up the pace enough so that he was hitting me my good spot more often and with a bit more force. I felt my mind begin to regress back into that breathless space before our conversation, but in a manner a bit different from then. Instead of driving me crazy with sheer aggression, now I was getting dumb on the way he knew my body. The way he knew how to drive me crazy in precise and exact movements.

The tight grip he had on my dick was enough to send me over the edge. I’d cum so many times that it was insanely sensitive, but he gripped it in a way that no matter how much it twitched and tried to burst it was constantly held back. I was squirming and reached my hand down to move his off me, but he used his free hand to pin my hands above my head. His blue eyes looked down at me the same mellow warmth shining there alongside a glimmer of mischief.

“Tell me you want my kids.”

“Dimi—ah!”

He squeezed my dick and I cried out.

“Tell me. Come on.”

His persistent small strokes made it hard to think. I began to lose my control and focus and became absorbed in how well he was moving inside me. How great it felt to see how well he reached. How much I wanted him to cum again inside me. How much I wanted to cum—together. Even then with me on the edge of losing my mind again, a blush still burned across my face as I opened my lips.

“I—want your—kids.”

He slammed his dick into my hole and the sudden burst of aggressiveness had me crying out as I tried to move my hands. He only gave that one sudden slam and returned to the short strokes. I was growing impatient with his pace and started to move my hips to entice him into another harsh slam, but he ignored me.

“Say it again. Tell me sincerely.”

After this, he began to alternate between a sudden harsh slam and the short strokes. Having my insides crushed by sheer force and then struck with perfect, gentle strokes gave me a mind boggling and unrelenting wave of pleasure. It was difficult to follow him and I felt myself giving more and more into him, letting him string my body along. Saliva was trickling out of my open mouth and I watched as he moved one hand and pressed it against my stomach.

“I’ll fill you up right inside here. But I guess if you don’t want my kids, you wouldn’t want me to cum inside you, right?”

He pulled out his dick completely and left my empty, weeping hole as I whimpered and looked longingly down at it. He leaned back so he wasn’t leaning over or touching me and sat there watching me, waiting with his own leaking dick standing erect and hard.

I was embarrassed and losing my mind, but in my state of breathless hunger and with the emptiness I felt where he’d pulled out, no sense of shame could stop me from getting what I wanted. I spread my legs out and raised my ass, spreading my cheeks with both my hands and using a finger to tap on my wet, oozing hole. The precum leaking from my dick trickled down my stomach and pooled in my belly button. I looked him right in the eye as I laid there presenting him with my hole.

“I really want your kids. Please,” I tapped my finger against my hole and scrapped up some of the cum dripping there before bringing up to my mouth and licking it clean with my tongue, “mess up my hole, Dimitri.”

He didn’t need any more encouragement and slammed back inside me as his mouth pressed against mine and he began to aggressively kiss me. He bit my lips over and over and I could feel them beginning to swell up as he used one hand to start stroking my dick. He would flick my tip with his thumb, and I knew between that and his dick crushing my insides that I wouldn’t last much longer. Dimitri’s strokes were also beginning to falter and I could feel his dick begin to throb against the walls of my hole and I clenched around him even harder.

“Fuck Byleth, I’ll give you everything you want. I’ll make sure you’re nice and full.”

“Dimitri…”

“Cum with me…”

He squeezed my dick right as he slammed one last time into me and with a cry, I watched my dick give a weak final sputter of cum that dripped out of my tip clear and watery. My spasming hole pushed him over the edge and he grunted as his dick let out another warm load of cum and he collapsed over me. He kept his dick inside me as it kept coating my walls and I let my head hit the towel and I opened my eyes to see the sky was a struggling to keep its dark indigo as the empty black night sky erased all that was left of the sun.

He finally pulled out and pulled himself up along the towel so that he was lying beside me and I was snuggled next to his chest.

“Wow…that was…”

“Intense. I think my dick might fall off with how much you made me cum.”

“Nice to know I can really get my fiancée going. Maybe we should abstain for a few months so we can have sex as intense as this all the time.”

I slapped my hand on his chest and he let out a laugh.

“I’m kidding. We’d both easily break before then.”

I snuggled up to his chest and closed my eyes. The gentle sounds of the waves were like a soothing lullaby to the dying heat on my skin and it had grown considerably cooler now that the sun has gone away. I could feel the starting trickle of his cum oozing out of my hole and it felt strangely comforting and pleasing as he held me there and we basked in the afterglow, full of nothing but each other.

“I wonder which of the stall we should try. I only got to eat takoyaki before I found you so there’s literally hundreds of stalls left to choose from. Ooo! That stall over there prepares cream sodas! I don’t think we have that in Fódlan. Come on!”

“Ok, ok! I’m following don’t worry.”

I tugged at Dimitri’s hand as I weaved through the large crowd of heroes towards the small stall where an elderly man was busy handing out tall glasses of something called cream soda. The beach walk was now lit with small lantern posts and strings of small crystal lights that hung from posts to stalls in a zig zag pattern above the crowds’ head alongside the millions of stars that outshone them. Beside us on the beach, the moon’s reflection swam in the ocean as fire-pits glowed across the sand with small fires surrounded by groups of people standing, sitting, and leaning on one another. The noise of the crowd drowned out the peaceful lullaby of the ocean.

It was a really beautiful night.

We finally reached the stall and I waited expectantly for the old man to notice me. He handed off a glass to a woman in front of me and I quickly stepped forward as he gave me a smile.

“How can I help you?”

“I’d like two cream sodas, please.”

“Sure thing. I’ll whip you up a glass right now. Just give me a minute.”

The old man turned back to his shop and took out from a metal ice box two green glasses, a little box of what looked like vanilla ice cream, and a scoop of ice cubes that he quickly poured into two glasses. I leaned over the counter curiously, squinting to try and see what the green bottles could be.

“Excuse me, what’s inside those bottles.”

“These? They’re the melon soda we use to make the cream sodas.”

“What’s—soda? I’m sure it’s a drink we’ve never had in our world.”

“Hmm, think of it as a sweetened drink that’s been infused with a gas that causes it to fizz when it's shaken or poured in a glass. Here.”

He moved to the side a bit so I could watch him work. He popped off the two caps of the sodas and picked one of them up. He tipped the bottle into one of the glasses and I watched amazed as a foam of white fizzled loudly over the clear colored melon soda. He did the same for the other glass and then grabbed a clear bottle with green liquid that he measured out, putting three spoons of it in each glass. He took a spoon and gently mixed the soda in both glasses before opening the bin of ice cream and scooping out a nice large scoop and placing it one on top of each glass of soda. He reached over to a basket full of cherries and placed one on top of each ball of ice cream then turned around with a glass in each hand and set them down on the counter for us.

“Here you go. Two cream sodas for the lovely friends.”

I winced at the friends but gave a polite smile and picked up the two glasses.

“Tha—”

“He’s actually my fiancée. We’ll be getting married pretty soon in our world.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry for assuming. A warm congratulations for you then. I hope your love is steady and everlasting.”

“Thank you.”

Dimitri wrapped an arm around my shoulder and planted a kiss on my cheek as he steered us back into the crowd. A few people glanced over at us and offered sincere smiles as I handed him his glass and tried to hide the small smile on my lips by taking a sip of mine. The minute the drink hit my mouth it fizzled on my tongue and the refreshing coolness of the drink seemed to stamp out the blush I felt like might creep onto my cheeks. The ice cream floated around on the green tinted soda and brushed against my mouth, touching me right above the lip as it came around.

It was actually a good thing that he decided to wrap a shoulder around me that way I could lean on him a bit. To be perfectly honest, our earlier— _activities—_ had left my legs soft like ice cream and it was a struggle for me to stand for about an hour. Even after all the times he’s done it with me, I still need some time to fully recover my strength. We were so busy with ourselves that we didn’t even eat any of the food Alfonse had packed for us and the two lemonades we’d begun to drink had ended up spilled and dried up in the sand. At the very least with our cream sodas in tow, we could find a nice fire pit to sit at, eat the food in the basket, and watch the fireworks which were supposed to happen in about half an hour, so a kind woman told us. It didn’t really help give that we had nothing on us to tell the time, but she said it’d be soon.

Dimitri seemed to be thinking with the fireworks in mind too as he steered closer to the edge of the beach walk touching the sand. I swiveled my head around to find a free fire pit and noticed one near the edge of the ocean in between larger groups of people. It had three long logs of wood positioned around it in a triangle and I tugged at Dimitri’s sweater and pointed a finger over to it.

“That fire pit is open over there and it has some logs for us to sit on. We should hurry before someone else nabs it!”

I threw his arm off from around me and bolted it over the sand. With the cream soda sloshing around in my glass, the bag from Camilla’s, and my stupid flip flops, I can only imagine how ridiculously stupid and awkward I looked. I didn’t quite care though and just to add to the fanfare I raised the cream soda glass over my head and began to chant “fireworks” as the wind rushed past me. I could hear Dimitri’s laugh echoing behind me as I kicked up the sand and it bit into the bottom of my feet and felt my own maniacal laugh slip out of my throat. When I reached the fire pit, I set my cream soda on the log, tossed off my bag beside it, and did a victory lap around the logs as Dimitri slowly grew closer and closer, his smile wide and beaming.

“Yes! My skills at calling dibs in the mess hall on tables proves its worth again. This is such a perfect spot to watch from and end the day and I can’t believe it was just free. Maybe it’s the Goddess blood in me, you should really acknowledge the sheer power and blessings I bring to us.”

I stopped by the log where I set my stuff and picked up my glass to take another drink of the cream soda. Dimitri had finally reached me and made a mock bow with his hands folded in prayer.

“Where would we truly be without your splendid guidance Your Holiness. We would, dare I say, starve if it weren’t for your ability to shove past students and faculty, leave your sword horizontal on the top of the table, and then stand first in line to get meals. This night would be ruined.”

I finished taking my sip and nodded my head in solemness.

“Please, save your praise. I do it for the benefit of us all.”

He moved over and nudged me with his body as he looked down at me.

“Well, I’ll give you praise when you stop giving yourself ice cream mustaches.”

The tip of my ears burned a bright red and I quickly licked around my mouth with my tongue and raised my arm to wipe my mouth. I poked him with my elbow and glared as he chuckled.

“How long did I have it? This is like the ultimate form of betrayal you know. I’m cancelling the wedding now.”

He gave me a small pout and leaned over to nuzzle my neck.

“Forgive me?”

I titled my head and feigned to be thinking before letting out a sigh and running my hand through his hair.

“Since you’re so handsome and devoted, I suppose I can overlook this spite against me.”

“Handsome and devoted?”

I could practically hear the smug smile he was wearing in his voice.

“One of the verses in scripture talks about settling your ego in humility. You should try following it.”

I felt him nod against my neck and I pushed his neck away so I could kneel down to look at the fire pit. There was plenty of dry word there and even kindling prepared, so I quickly made a circle with my fingers in the air and a small little flame burst to life above them. I moved the flame over above the kindling and let it catch fire before standing and snuffing the flame out with a hand wave.

“I forget you’re just as adept as magic as you are weapons. What a handy future husband to keep around.”

“These flames and bolts of lighting are also handy with setting annoying husbands on fire too.”

“Hm, point taken.”

We sat down next to each other on the log as the fire slowly crackled to life and the air began to heat up nicely as the sea breeze blew past us. I watched a group a few feet away from us. One of them seemed to be telling a story while the others listened closely. He made a gesture in the air and everyone suddenly burst out in laughter as a woman got up and shoved him back, so he sat down on the sand. It looked like they were taking turn telling jokes or stories.

I turned my head back towards the fire and watched its orange crackle.

My heart ached a bit watching them. It reminded me of what I had felt earlier eating the takoyaki and walking together with Lon’qu.

“I miss them.”

I felt Dimitri slip his hand over mine and give it a tight squeeze.

“Yeah. I do too.”

“The last time we saw them was when I was named the Archbishop of the Church. They all sat in the front pew of the Cathedral bickering with each other the entire time leading up to when the cathedral bells rang. Manuela, Mercedes, and Annette were crying in a bunch huddled together even before I walked out, and Felix was glaring over in their direction because they were crying so incredibly loud. Ingrid was lecturing Sylvain about something while he sat there mopping and Ashe was leaning back and forth with excitement while Yuri used his shoulder as a temporary pillow and Hapi kept getting pushed back down to sit by Constance who was trying her best to keep her from getting restless. Dorothea had a look of excitement and wonder as she pointed around at the decorations and fanfare the Church had set up for the ceremony while Bernadetta sat next to her and tired her best to be brave in a room of with so many people familiar and new. You, Balthus, Dedue, and Hanneman were having some conversation that had all four of you laughing, but you kept glancing over and over towards the front of the Cathedral waiting to see me. I swear you looked more nervous than I did.

Of course, they all calmed down and got serious when I came out and assumed my role as the leader of the Church. They were so happy for me and so much like back then during my first year at the Monastery. I’d spent so many months watching them have to kill. Soldiers, classmates, family, people. Marching from battlefield to battlefield. I know they tried to be as upbeat and positive as they could be, but it was easy enough to see the toll it all took on them by looking at their eyes. They’d all lost so much. They suffered as much as us.

They should be here with us. Eating crazy new foods and watching fireworks and telling stories and just—learning how to live their lives again. Outside politics and war and loss. They would’ve loved it here.”

The fire’s crackle felt like a delicate hum that hung in the air as I finished speaking my thoughts and we sat there a while reminiscing about moments that were similar. The Battle of the Eagle and Lion, the beauty contest, the ball, our reunion, Dimitri’s coronation, the end of the war in Enbarr. None of it would have meant as much without them there.

“Professor! Professor! Dimitri! Over here!”

I was lost in my memories so much that at first, I thought I had just imagined Annette’s voice in my head, but when I tilted my head up from where the fire was burning, I was stunned to see Annette leading the charge towards us while all the others followed behind her. Everyone was dressed in their own summer outfits. Dimitri and I stood up as the group reached us and I felt myself tugged right into a tight, lung crushing hug by Manuela. I let out a laugh as she let out a squeal and her breasts pushed against my arm.

“It’s nice to see that even in another world they know how to work with you! This outfit is— _yes!_ The shorts leave nothing to the imagination and no shirt, let your twins hangout for the men to see—I _approve_. Ah, we’re going to bulldoze across these second-rate heroes just like we bulldozed over all those young women in the beauty contest. No man is safe with Manuela and Byleth swimming these waters.”

“I’ll remind you Manuela that Byleth is _engaged_ to _me_ at the moment.”

“Right, right,” Manuela leaned into my ear and whispered, “Don’t worry we can easily ditch him in a minute—three at most.”

I let out a laugh as Dimitri raised his eyebrow over at us and I looked on over at everyone.

“I was just talking about how much I missed you all and you—appeared out of thin air like you somehow knew.”

“Awww Professor,” Mercedes chimed in, “we were missing the two of you as well. We arrived here earlier in the afternoon as a group and Prince Alfonse mentioned that you’d been summoned here as well. We spent a good while looking for you but couldn’t seem to find you anywhere and settled for maybe running into you later on in the night.”

“Really? I’m so sorry. Dimitri and I were—uh—busy. We went for a walk down the beach and ended up swimming and snoozing out beyond the beach walk.”

“I’m just glad we were able to find you today Professor,” Flayn plopped down on the log in front of us and everyone began to find a place to sit on the three logs as I sat down with Dimitri and Manuela beside me, “My brother has promised—with his pinky might I add—that we’ll spend the entire day in the ocean tomorrow! There’s a pier where they let you swim with fishes. SWIM. WITH. FISHES. Of all the worlds to be summoned to this is surely what dreams are made of.”

“Swimming and fishes are nice Flayn, but the beach is meant for lounging about in the sun, letting your skin tan while watching shirtless men run around like sweating, bumbling idiots while they marvel at your cool collectedness,” Dorothea pressed her right hand against her heart, “Here is where you can test the extent of your charms and powers. You’ll have them spinning like a top with a snap of your fingers.”

“Flayn has no need of such frivolous activities Dorothea. After all, she has me to rely o—”

“Is it possible to have such authority over men? Would they not be more resistant?”

“A man resist a woman? There could be, sure, but that’s why you learn to stake out the gullible fools and give them a good performance to entic—”

“ _That’s_ quite enough of this conversation. What Flayn was supposed to be getting at is we all thought it would be a pleasant idea for us all to spend a day together now that we’ve finally been reunited. If you’re up for it, we were planning to try all of the activities that have been set up for us including something called snorkeling above a reef which, as Flayn mentioned, mean swimming with fishes.”

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss a chance for us all to have a good run through the beach. I’m a bit hurt that you guys would even think that.”

“It’s not that we didn’t think you wouldn’t want to, per say,” Constance taped her maroon fan against her hand as she mumbled, “We all just collective thought that—”

“We thought you two would want to bone each other and spend the day holding hands or kissing or whatever,” Hapi interjected with a flat voice as she start cross legged on the log to my left beside Constance, “We decided to be courteous and give you the chance to go to town on each other in peace and quiet. Bang out the stre—OW!,” Constance slammed her fan on top of Hapi’s head and glared at her, “What the hell Coco!?”

“You have absolutely no tact or filter. Can you not put even such delicate matters as these in a more proper manner? I’d hoped such things would’ve robbed onto you—us being friends and all.”

“Well—I see Ingrid’s inherent hunger for physical violence has rubbed off on you, that’s for sure.”

“Right,” I interrupted the two of them as they began to glare daggers at each other, “That was a—considerate—consideration to have for us, but we both have really, truly wanted to spend time with you all. I’m not sure how long we have here or if it’s even real, but regardless of that I’d like for us to make some memories that we can take with us. Besides, Dimitri and I have already had enough of our own time with today alone.”

“Take it that you two really went to town on each other already then, huh. I still can’t understand how you don’t snap the Professor in half Dimitri. I saw your dick once and that thing is something scary I’m sure it would tear a new hole in anyone. Guess that means the Professor is a real incubus in the bed. Where do you fit all of that Professor?”

Sylvain looked at me from my right and, to be fair, it sounded and looked like from his face that he was genuinely curious to know how exactly I managed to handle Dimitri, but me and the other women nonetheless gave him a deadpanned look with glaring eyes. Sylvain looked around the fire and seemed confused by the reaction before getting wacked on the head by a silent Felix who was leaning on his shoulder.

“OW! What the hell?”

“Idiot.”

“What was wrong with the question, Felix?”

“Everything was wrong with it you idiot,” Ingrid chimed in and landed her own punch on the side of Sylvain’s stomach, “You don’t ask about someone’s love life.”

“Why not?”

“The time lovers spend in bed or connected with one another is private and sacred. It’s a culmination of the feelings they carry, their love manifesting physically in an all-consuming bodily passion. No one else but them should know how their dance together goes,” Dorothea held her hand still above her heart before she threw it off and jabbed a pointing finger in the air in Sylvain’s direction, “But you’re as unrefined and unromantic as men get. The lowest picking of the barrel. Don’t focus on what someone else does in the bedroom and worry more about what goes on in your and Felix’s.”

Felix’s face flushed completely red and he began to violent jab the side of Sylvain’s stomach.

“Ow—ow—OW! Stop! Why are you mad now?”

The group descended into chaos as everyone began to argue about the boundaries of friend’s knowledge about each other’s relationships as I sat there with a small but concerned smile on my face. I could still feel Dimitri’s hand gently gripping onto mine and as I looked down at the way his large hand covered mine and heard the shouts and yells of everyone drown the calm of the sea, I couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of comfort wash over me. The instant happy chaos that we all created the minute we were together was a far cry from the silent echo of the audience chamber and cathedral where I spent most of my days if I wasn’t traveling. Every day was a solemn march and a serious affair. There was no time or space or person willing to just turn the day on its head. It was such a strange contrast.

When people spoke of Sothis, they talk about her in grand empty words and motions as a woman who was swift in casting punishment and justice, someone who was steady, mature, and fearless, someone who knew everything from the flow of time to the motion of one’s heart. This was _her_ Church. She was _their_ Goddess. I was to carry out _her will_ by carrying the Church’s. But the Sothis I knew…she would’ve surely told me to shove the sticks they carried further up their asses. She was none of those things they thought she was. She was vulgar and childish and cried quite a lot despite her constant denials. She was vulnerable, had her weaknesses as well as her strengths. She always wanted to be in constant motion. I thin she would have preferred to be right here, surrounded by the chaos.

And she was kind. She warm, sincere, and—family.

I peered over at Dimitri and felt my heart skip a beat as he laughed along with something Yuri had retorted to Ingrid. They were arguing about how she’d surely gain weight with all the food stalls she’d run out of business today with her stomach alone. He laughed with a smile and listened with a smile and spoke with a smile. His eye shimmered a glossy, ocean blue. He tugged gentle on my hand every now and then and I tugged back on his.

I leaned against his shoulder and was content to simply watch and listen.

I hadn’t told Dimitri this earlier, but I also had been left with a family. My mother died giving birth to me, dad was killed right before my eyes, and Sothis had vanished in the matter of seconds. I’d lost people I loved before I could even feel the loss. It felt unreal until it felt all too real. The emptiness that pushed me into such desperation before—really—that was the lingering fear that I might lose him too before I could love him enough, before I could understand fully what he meant to me. A fear that always sat inside my heat.

But to be able to open my eyes and see him beside me, the warmth of his skin seeping into mine. To watch the way he carried himself, the pride he took in claiming me as his own and me claiming him. The way he was ready to stop in his rack and simply listen.

I tilted my head up and looked at the left side of his face. The stars and crackling fire cast a pale, hauntingly beautiful glow around the ridge of his nose and the line of his jaw. The loose strands of hair over his forehead rustling with the light ocean breeze. His heartbeat thrumming against the side of my arm.

“Look everyone! I think they’re starting!”

Ashe yelled out above everyone else and pointed just over the ocean.

A column of orange light with sparks came flying above the horizon, a whistling sound ringing through the ear before disappearing for a few seconds. Then a massive _boom_ rung out and a bright red explosion burst out seemingly from thin air and an image fizzled out and was sketched in the air. A red rabbit.

Before we knew it, countless columns of orange light were shooting up all at once from somewhere out in the ocean. The climbed the sky and burst into palm trees, suns, cats, dogs, and glasses of ice cream. Each burst painted the black ocean of the night with momentary flourishes of colors all reflected in the rolling waves. Their brightness threatened to take all the attention away from the moon and stars, rivaling their daily spectacle and charm. Every firework seemed more beautiful and wondrous than the last and their color seemed to fizzle across my vision and memory, painting them all in brilliant color.

I felt a tug on my hand and looked back to see Dimitri watching me, the fireworks exploding in his eye, lighting up the depths of his own deep blue. A huge smile was still tugging at his face and I sent him my own. I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips as fireworks continued to whistle and explode around us. I pressed against his side and we watched the sky—together.

I was content to live as long as I could see his smile.

_I couldn’t possibly live without you either._


End file.
